UNDERSTANDING AND FAITH

It is nice to understand.  Indeed, it often feels safe to understand.  Or at least to think we understand.  And of course, there are plenty of times in life when it is essential to understand.  For example, it probably isn’t a great idea to drive a car if you don’t understand how to drive a car.  

Of course, we don’t need to understand how the car works to drive it.  For most, of us, that is a complete act of faith.  If we didn’t have faith that somehow the brakes will work, the car stays in the garage.   

Indeed, faith (or trust) and understanding may not be entirely compatible.  Say you tell your child, parent, spouse, etc. that you’re going to do something.  And they respond by saying “I don’t understand” and they ask you a zillion questions in order to try to understand. And this may be appropriate on many occasions.  But how does it feel to be on the receiving end of the grilling.  Do we feel trusted and that the other person has faith in us?    

Whereas, if sooner rather than later the other person says, ”I have faith in you to do the right thing for you.” Does it not feel really good to be on the receiving end of that faith but also the offering end.

Of course, this is a bit of an over simplification.  Indeed the effort to understand others is so important to drawing in light. 

But I think it so enhances relationships and draws in so much light when we offer faith and trust to each other.

And likewise, when it comes to our relationship with Creator, I believe there are many times when it is not for us to understand what is going on and why.  And that can be hard.  But when we have faith in these circumstances that things are happening for our highest and best good— the Kabbalists call it certainty beyond logic— that faith draws us closer to Creator.