“I believe in God the Father, Almighty, Creator, infinitely holy and loving, who has a plan for the world, a plan for my life, and some daily work for me to do. I believe in Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God, as Example, Lord, and Savior. I believe in the Holy Spirit who is able to guide my life so that I may know God’s will; and I am prepared to allow him to guide and control my life. I believe in God’s law that I should love the Lord my God with all my heart, and with all my soul, and with all my mind, and with all my strength; and my neighbor as myself. I believe it is God’s will that the whole world should be without any barriers of race, color, class, or anything else that breaks the spirit of fellowship. To believe means to believe with the mind and heart, to accept, and to act accordingly on that basis” (Eric Liddell).

I still believe. Not in a humble brag way, but in the most honest way I know how to believe. I’ve heard about and read about so many people who called themselves Christians and were deeply impactful in my life but who no longer choose to be associated with Christianity. Or they’ve gone so far down the deconstruction rabbit hole that what they believe is no longer close to what the Bible teaches.

Why do I still believe? I think it’s because I have no other choice. I love it when Jesus asks His followers if they’re about to leave Him after He said some hard truths that drove away many followers. Peter basically said, “Where else are we gonna go? Only You have the words of eternal life.”

That’s how I feel. What other religion or belief system gives me hope? Who else died for my sins and gives me a fresh slate every morning when I’ve failed miserably the night before?

It’s not so much that I have such a strong faith in God but more of a mustard-sized faith in a very strong God. It’s not me having a stranglehold on God but that He’s holding on to me and won’t ever let go. That’s my hope. If I could have lost my salvation, I would have lost it a long time ago. Thankfully, I hold the promise that God in Jesus won’t lose a single one of those who come to Him in faith. He will finish what He started in me.

I honestly don’t know why people walk away from faith. I don’t know that I would have done any differently if I were in their shoes and walking their roads. I know that I can pray for them to rediscover faith (or even discover real faith for the first time). I know that there’s no better place than in the center of God’s will and no better hope than the one that Jesus offers.