The Nearsightedness of Faith

People always say that faith is blind.  “Well, that’s just blind faith, you just have to trust.”  This has always bothered me – though not because it sounds trite or because I need to know everything before I do something. 

So, here is my modification of that idea.  Faith is not blindness – it is nearsightedness.  Here’s why:

Imagine life as a series of steps you have to take.  When people say that “faith is blind,” it is as though you can’t see any of those steps you need to take, and you just need to start walking into the darkness, trusting that you won’t run into anything.  In my experience, this is not how faith has presented itself. 

• Faith is knowing the first step, but not the twelfth.  
• Faith is not knowing what the third step is, but trusting that when you take the first step, the second will show itself.  
• Faith is knowing that “wait and do nothing” is a perfectly legitimate step to take.  
• Faith is not complete blindness, it’s just nearsightedness. 

You might feel like the path in front of you is dark and unsure and causeless – but trust that you always know what the next step is, and you need to take that step before anything else is made clear.  So rather than focus on figuring out every step of your life, focus on what the next step is that you might not be taking, and take it.