Growing up, learning to walk with Christ seemed so simple. In my youthful mind, walking in faith was more like big, broad strokes. When talking to a friend recently about this topic, he revealed he had a similar early thought about faith: "I read all the Old Testament stories as a kid and wanted to be just like Daniel or David, fearless." As we continued to visit about our youthful perspectives, it didn't take long to arrive at an all-too-familiar adult phrase: "If only it were that simple."
In the days following my discussion, I couldn't help but ask myself, when did it get so complicated?
The answer is that we do, when we give details, politics, or, as we say now, the optics more value than they deserve. The good news is that Jesus's promises are still there, waiting underneath all the noise, emotion, and optics we have piled on top of them.
Consider the woman in the crowd. All around Jesus were people watching Him perform miracles, probably even some who had eaten the fish He multiplied. A whole crowd pressed against Him, but one woman pushed through all that noise. She had bled for twelve years, spent everything on physicians, and had only gotten worse. Her faith is startling in its plainness as she said, "If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole" (Mark 5:28). No theology degree. No strategy. Just one faithful reach toward Christ.
