DR. STE​VE M​CSWAIN

All structures…foundations…all pillars of faith….in other words, all beliefs are uncertain, temporary, and they are not…I repeat…they are not the source of authentic faith…

…if authentic faith is what you seek.

Faith is authentic…genuine…most real…when it has nothing upon which to stand. Which is why I’ve always liked the picture at the top of this page.  It is neither what you say nor what you claim that determines the genuineness of faith. It is instead your willingness to let go of everything…even every one of your closely held beliefs…and take one more step into the oblivion…

…the Oblivion that IS God.

When you can do this, my friend, you will no longer need anything to hold you up. No belief, no confession, no creed, as helpful and as “right” as any of them may be. For you will have made the grandest discovery of life – the Eternal in yourself.  It is that which takes hold of you.

The step you fear taking is, ironically, the step you need to take…you must take…into authentic faith.

So, let go of all attachments. Fall headlong into the authenticity of your own inner doubts. You will not go wrong. You will not lose your faith.  You will, paradoxically, find faith…find a foundation that you cannot see but will lift you up infinitely higher than any belief system ever could.

Which is, of course, why Jesus said, “He who would lose his life will find it” (Matt. 16:25).

I know. I’ve been there.

I took this step some years ago, and I continue doing so daily, not certain where it will ever lead, unsure of what will ever happen to me.

What I discover over and over again, however, is that the very thing I think I might lose, I actually find.

This, my friend, is the mystery of faith.

This, my friend, is the way to discover God.

When you take this step, you’ll have every reason imaginable to give thanks this Thanksgiving.