In my job I get to see and hear many examples of faith displayed in various ways. It has helped me to realize what true faith is. True faith is the kind you have when that's all that's left. You can have a college education or no education; you can be snooty rich or dirt poor; drive a Lexus or walk barefoot — true faith is measured by desperation. How desperate for God are you?
This topic has been on my mind as I hear stories that reflect true, sincere faith. When a spouse is ill or has an ongoing disability, and doctors aren't able to provide the answers that you would like, faith might be all you have left. This could be described as placebo faith. Faith that's simply a crutch. While faith in a higher power can surely be viewed that way, maybe it shouldn't be. If you've never been desperate, it's easy to look at Christian believers as uneducated fools who trust their God because they don't understand science and medicine. That may be true, but when science, medicine, logic, friends, and family cannot provide the help you're needing, that's where faith thrives. Without a broken spirit, it's unlikely that you'll understand true faith, faith that's definitely not a placebo.
If you are in a dire, desperate situation, you really can do only one of two things. You can pray or you can do nothing. When you pray from a desperate heart, you've found true faith. When you feel as if you can't fix this problem by yourself, you've found it. When you are so exhausted from fears and worries and you decide to hand the situation over to God, you've found it. This kind of faith allows you to see your situation differently. It changes your perspective. It heals you in ways you wouldn't expect.
True faith can't be placebo faith. That's not really faith, now is it?
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