Belief is such a mysterious process. We get so deeply rooted with our own and so closed off to the beliefs of others. We demand definitive proof and logic from others, but will battle to the grave for truths we hold sacred with absolutely no back up or rational evidence. Or even a well-constructed reasoning for why we believe it.

I’ve caught myself recently on the verge of prejudice when encountering beliefs that were different from my own. It makes me pause, because I’m pretty sure I don’t have it all figured out. That none of us do. And, I don’t want to close myself off from fresh thinking and outside perspectives. That’s what growth is all about. Being able to examine and reflect and consider other points of view help you better define your own. To grow deeper roots.

I also think it is important to keep in context what it is like for others who encounter us as Christians. We are many times too quick to question their belief systems and wonder in amazement how they could believe some of the things they believe. And even more so, how they could not believe in the God we love and follow. But just stop for a second and imagine what it must be like for people who didn’t grow up like me, in a church home, in a church community, on the buckle of the Bible Belt with messages of God and Jesus in surround sound. Here’s a good example. This quote comes from Roger, an extraterrestrial from an unnamed world who regularly makes appearances on the animated shows American Dad and Family Guy.

“I love your religion for the crazy! Virgin birth. Water into wine. It’s like Harry Potter, but it causes genocide and bad folk music” – Roger

I don’t recall the specific episode or even which show the quote was from, but that’s really not all that necessary for the point I’m making. The quote is funny and sad at the same time. Belief is a stretch. There are days when I have a hard time truly believing, despite being a card-carrying member of the Lifetime Christian Club. So, yes, when you lay out the storyline, it must be incredibly difficult for someone experiencing it for the first time to immediately accept.

So, my point is two-fold. First, know what you believe but be open and understanding of belief systems that are foreign or even contradictory to your own. And secondly, always remember that your beliefs will seem less of a stretch to you than they will to others, simply because you’ve already examined, accepted and processed them for yourself. Roger that?