What Do You Believe?

This is one of the most important weeks for those who are in the Christina faith.  Their actions, choices, and hopes are tied to their belief in the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.  Even those who never enter the doors of the church the rest of the year attend services because of tradition and faith.

Some mark the season of Easter with fictional practices including a Bunny who brings coloured eggs and chocolate for children.

Easter can be viewed as a transition between winter and summer – a time to wear brighter colours and start a plan for the next garden.                   

You see the fact that the calendar shows that it is Easter and the way that we recognize this is all filtered through the belief system that we have adopted.  Believing in Jesus has very different results than just believing that you are getting time off for a statutory holiday or that you need to head to a store to buy treats for your children.

But beliefs are more engrained in our lives than we might think.  When we believe that we are going to fail at things or that we cannot improve our lives, unfortunately, those beliefs usually override any chance we might otherwise have at success.

I remember the year that I took Driver Education in high school and booked a test for my operator’s license.  Everything went great and I felt confident until I was asked to parallel park.  Just then I looked up and saw my dad standing on the corner watching me. I couldn’t concentrate and failed miserably.   The examiner asked, “Would you like to come back next week and try again?”  My reply was “No, I was really hoping to get my license today”.

I was surprised when the examiner said “Ok.  If you promise to continue practicing, I will give you your license today”.

Well, I am a little embarrassed to admit that I never tried to parallel park again for more than thirty years!  I just didn’t believe that I could do it.

At the end of one of my lunch breaks, I headed back to the office and looked for an angle parking spot.  I drove around and around the block without success.  There was only one option – a parallel parking spot.   I had to make a choice – try to parallel park or be late for work.

I pulled up to the car in front of the space, put the vehicle in reverse and turned the wheel.  Perfect!   First try!

I was so shocked that I just sat in the car for a few minutes with my hands on the wheel and said “Dear God, what else can I do that I didn’t realize that I can do?”

Fear and a lack of belief can leave us stressed and immobilized.  On the other hand, positive beliefs can help us to reach goals, try new things and have hope for the future.

What do you believe?  Are your beliefs helping you or hurting you?

My belief for all of you is that you can (if you choose) to have a wonderful Easter week and live out the words of an old hymn:

“Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow”. 

Happy Easter, everyone!