Will you welcome ‘the stranger’ at your door?

When they crucified Jesus, the hopes and dreams of his friends died with him. When he was enclosed in that tomb, his disciples were shattered and discouraged, lost and confused. They hid behind closed doors, scared for their lives, and even afraid of life itself without Jesus, their leader.

Their faith was restored when Jesus appeared to them. In John’s gospel, even Thomas moved from doubt to faith as Jesus invited him to touch his wounds. Thomas then affirmed his great faith as he proclaimed, “My Lord and my God.”

We all go through many changes in life – physical, emotional, and mental. Our faith also changes. As new experiences affect our lives, we need to make some sense of those new situations. If we do not, we will lose our faith in God. Or, if we do not lose our faith, it will become weak and unable to help us deal with our real lives.

Imagine a parent who loses a young child in a car accident or a wife who loses a husband after only a few years of marriage. Or someone who becomes severely disabled because of some unfortunate situation. In all these cases, the same question arises, “How could God let this happen?”

As people struggle with this question, they can go in two different directions.

They can either accept what is and begin to understand life in a different and hopeful way, or move into complete doubt and push God aside.

If our faith and trust in God do not grow, we may not be ready for the unexpected and tragic situations that we experience. How many young adults simply let their faith slide when they encounter others who do not believe and think that any kind of spiritual activity is just a waste of time?

If our faith comes only from the group to which we belong, then it is on very shaky ground. Perhaps, we were born into a Christian family and took on the values and beliefs of that family. Later, our church reinforced that belief system. Still, our faith was not our own faith. We were leaning on the faith of others. When we personally encountered a situation in which we needed to call on our own trust in God, we felt lost and could not cope. Our faith still was not ours. It belonged to the group.

We all need to move beyond this stage. Perhaps, we are still in that group faith. We have not yet grown into a personal faith. Group faith will not give us the strength we need as we face the demanding situations of life. Group faith lacks the energy and force that personal faith gives to us.

I met a woman in Tampa last year who gave me a poem she had written. It’s entitled “The Stranger” by Eileen Rioles:

“I’ve got the strangest feeling

Someone’s presence at my door.

What’s that stranger doing there,

I never noticed him before.

I prayed to God throughout

the night

To keep me safe ’til sun’s in sight.

Upon arising, I feel once more,

This stranger’s presence at my door.

He’s clothed in patience and humility

but his gift of love I’m blind

to see.

And so for 30 years or more,

I’ve kept him waiting at the door.

Somehow with courage,

I turn the key,

And I welcome this stranger

cautiously.

To my complete amazement,

As he’s coming through the door,

I think I’ve met this stranger once or twice before.

But I know it’s not humanly

Possible to trust him from the start,

Until I’m willing to surrender,

To the guest who’s in my heart.”

We all need to invite “this stranger” to be part of our lives.