You can't put faith in a box either.

An expression says, "you can't put God in a box."

I agree with that.

Well, you can't put your own faith in a box either.

I've been struggling with a lot of faith-related things lately.

predestination vs. free will

what/who causes pain and suffering

interpretation of the Bible, literal vs. figurative vs. whatever

...basically a bunch of cases of trying to figure out who's right and who's not.

Because of recent circumstances, my home church just doesn't quite feel like home anymore. It's really distressing for me because all my life I've had my home church to cling to, to return to, a constant and safe place to be for nurturing my faith. Now, everything is changing. I don't know where I belong, what denomination to call myself, or what I firmly believe to be true.

BUT.

God never meant for our faith journeys to be comfortable.

Faith is radical.

It's about taking chances, making mistakes, getting messy.

Faith is your own, not for someone else to decide. We as Christians are often nurtured and helped along in our early faith lives, but there comes a time where faith breaks free of the mold that other people have been creating.

Faith needs to become our own, to be who we are, not who other people are or want us to be.

I can't have anyone else tell me exactly what I think. I make the final decision.

Sure, I can get suggestions and ideas of what other people believe, but ultimately, the choice is mine.

My faith doesn't have a denominational label. And it doesn't have to.

I've been baptized and raised PC(USA) Presbyterian, been immersed in ELCA Lutheran culture the last 2 years, and have been exposed to a wide variety of other faith ideas through mission trips, spring break service trips, college connections, you name it.

So many experiences have shaped my faith that putting one label on it wouldn't do it justice.

It would be like trying to put an elephant into a pop can.

Like trying to confine God to a box.

It just doesn't work that way.

I don't know a lot of things about my faith.

I'm not sure where dinosaurs fit into the picture of creation. I don't know if all the stories in the Bible actually happened or if some are meant only for teaching a moral. I have no clue what God thinks about homosexuality. I still wonder if God has absolutely everything planned out in my life and how much control I have over what happens. Heaven might be somewhere up in the clouds or a better version of earth--I haven't the foggiest idea.

Here's what I do believe:

God created everything and made it good. He said so himself.

God loves us so much that he sent Jesus Christ to die for my sins and for the sins of the whole world, so that we are no longer captive to sin. Jesus then rose again to give life to all who believe so that we can spend eternity with Him.

God has a plan. I am not privy to this plan, but I trust that God has things under control.

We are created in God's image for a specific purpose, given unique abilities and strengths.

We are created to be in community; we are not meant to be alone in our journey through faith and life.

We are called to share God's unending love with all of creation.

We are called to serve in whatever ways we can.

I don't have to know everything about my faith. In fact, I don't want to know everything.

I don't have to put a label on my faith.

My faith does not live in a box.

I am who God has created me to be.

I am a follower of Christ.

I'm not perfect,

I don't know everything,

and that's exactly the way I like it.