Faith in Your Twilight

In my years in ministry, I have observed that people’s faith in whoever or whatever they call “God,” may be hardened, deepened, or abandoned in their twilight years.

Hardened Faith

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When people are convinced that they have a lock on the truth about God their faith often hardens into a rigid set of beliefs and behaviors. “My beliefs about God, my way of worshipping God, my standards for living are the only way.  Everyone else’s faith, worship and behavior are at best, suspect, and at worse, damnable.

When people have been catechized on fear, “If you don’t believe these things you are going to hell,” “If you behave this way you will be ejected from the community of faith,” fear hardens the soil of the soul and chokes growth in love of God and neighbor.

Arrogance and fear harden faith.

Deepened Faith

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When people admit that God is beyond all human comprehension, and that all our reasoning and all our study of sacred texts still leave God shrouded in mystery, an attitude of humility opens a window in the soul that the fresh air of Divine Presence can blow through.

When people live in wonder, awe, and gratitude toward God, with a longing for God, faith deepens into an abiding trust in the goodness of God and the universe.

Humility and longing deepen faith.

Abandoned Faith

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When God does not meet expectations, however unrealistic they may be, people often become disillusioned with their faith and abandon it in disappointment.

When suffering impinges on dreams or loss leaves a hole in the heart, people often become bitter and abandon their faith in anger, blaming God for their pain.

Disillusionment and bitterness can cause people to abandon their faith.

Keeping Faith in Your Twilight

So how can we deepen our faith into an abiding trust in the twilight of our lives as we experience loss, grief, disappointment, or disillusionment?

Be Honest With God

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Be honest with God about your experience of life. Tell God how you feel about what is happening to you. If you are angry with God, tell God. The psalms are full of anger and complaints with God. God listens when we are honest with God about our experiences.

“God meets us where we are, not where we pretend to be.” David Brenner

Honesty with God pulls the weeds of doubt and disappointment from our heart so it can respond with gratitude to God’s blessing and with trust in God’s love.

Count Your Blessings

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There is an old hymn that has a line that goes, “Count your blessings. Name them one by one. Count your many blessings see what God has done. Too often we see only the negatives in our life.

Are you still above ground? That’s a blessing. Do you have a roof over your head? That’s a blessing. Do you have food to eat? That’s a blessing. Does the sun still warm your face? That’s a blessing. Do birds sing outside your window? That’s a blessing.

“There two ways to live your life. One is though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” Albert Einstein

Gratitude is ground that the seed of faith can grow in, even in twilight years.

Trust in God’s Unfailing Love

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For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39

“If we are absolutely grounded in the absolute love of God that protects us from nothing even as it sustains us in all things, then we can face all things with courage and tenderness and touch the hurting places in others and in ourselves with love.” Dr. James Finley

In my experience, a better word for faith, is trust. Faith is often misunderstood to mean assent to doctrines or beliefs. Trust is a relational word and implies confidence in the one you have faith in.

Trust in God’s unfailing love is the sunshine that grows the seed of faith.

God walks with us in loving relationship, even in our twilight years. Our challenge is to trust that God does.

Jim Cyr is a trained spiritual companion who helps older adults reflect on the meaning of their lives and how God has been present or absent as they face the challenges of aging and end of life.

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