Do Beginnings Matter?

This is the beginning.... of this blog that is! Obviously having a beginning matters here because no future is possible without it. The same is true in every endeavor and in every life. Where you and I began is important, though we seem to spend very little time thinking about it.

The beginning in the Bible is also extremely important if for no other reason than the staggering claims that are made about the beginning of all that is. Of course, a lot of people do not see such ancient texts and their claims as important or even relevant to their lives. If that describes you, then I hope to persuade you otherwise. If you are already convinced that beginnings in the Bible matter for life, bear with me (or bear without me somewhere else!) for the next few lines.

The basic claim that the Bible makes at it's beginning is this - all that exists was created by God. The basic question many would ask is "So what?" This is expressed in the form of other questions such as "How does this help me with my everyday problems... my bills, my kids, my parents, my job, my house, my car, etc.?" Day to day living can make everything seem irrelevant beyond the present moment's tensions.

However, as many psychologists will attest, the attitude with which one approaches day to day living and it's difficulties does in fact effect how one deals with life. I submit that one's attitude is shaped by ones faith. What it is that you believe is ultimately true will shape how you live in one way or another. It may not be a conscious factor, but it is a factor nonetheless, and your faith is usually much more of a factor than you know.

"But LEE," you protest, "I don't have any faith. I don't believe in God at all." The fact that you may not believe in God does not mean that you have no faith, it just means that you place your "faith" in something else. It might be faith in human potential, or in scientific knowledge, or your local newspaper, or what your Uncle Al taught you. But rest assured, you have some kind of faith in something, even if it is yourself, and that does affect your attitude toward life and living.

The biblical claims concerning beginnings allows only two choices. Either God is the Creator of all or God is not. The fact is if you embrace that claim as true, you are much more likely to face the day to day challenges of life, as well as the larger concerns and crises, with a positive attitude for the future. If you deny the truth of God as Creator, your attitude is more likely to be negative.* Belief in a universe created by God won't pay your bills, but it will make it more likely that you will have hope for the future even if your bills aren't getting paid, and having hope always matters.

Your Joyfully Loquacious Believer,
LEE

*There is the objection that one could believe in something or someone other than God as Creator to be positive in life. I will address that in the next post.