What is the true essence of faith?

Sometimes, my Christian faith seems like the tethers of a hot air balloon, holding it securely to the ground.

But those tethers are constantly being loosened, threatening my sense of stability.

A shocking headline can make me lose my bearings. A challenging conversation can make my feet slip.  Circumstances that force me out of my regular routine can make me feel as if all is lost.  I’m way up high in that basket, counting on those tethers, yet feeling them suddenly snipped in half.

Is life is about learning what to do when a tether is loosed?

I’m learning that the tethers are other things – ideas, habits, judgements, traditions, assumptions, laws, pleasures – that make me feel securely connected to Christ, but don’t do the true work of faith.  Though they feel good and stable, they are not the essence of faith at all. They are holding me down to the earth instead of compelling me toward Heaven.

Thankfully, the tethers always (naturally? Providentially?) come undone and I am forced to face the true essence of faith in Christ. Thankfully, I discover my false securities each time something disappoints me, dissatisfies me, or proves me wrong.

I am learning that true faith in Christ is more like the fire inside a hot air balloon that causes it to soar.

Life is about learning that His character is my security and His presence is all I need to live abundantly.

If I sit tethered to the earth forever, I’ll miss out on everything.

When human traditions and earthly expectations fail us, we are more likely to see that the actual substance of our faith – what is truly securing us to Heaven – is entirely and completely Jesus Christ. 

Jesus said, “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.” (John 17:16) 

And so we soar with Him, our one true stability.