Faith has always been present in my life, but how I engage with it has changed. When we were still in Ontario, we were exploring spirituality, but returning to church felt like high stakes. It felt like if we started going again, friends and family who still attend would get too excited, almost as if they were waiting for us to fully return. That kind of pressure wasn’t what we needed at the time.
But deep down, it was something we wanted for our family. We both grew up with some of that structure and saw the positives of what it gave us as children. We wanted to give that to our kids. And honestly, Ellie loves it.
Seeing Faith Through a New Lens
Since moving, we’ve gotten closer to friends who have absolutely no religious background, and it has made me reflect on the aspects of faith I took for granted. There are things I assumed everyone had access to, community, service, big-picture thinking, when in reality, a lot of it was a product of growing up in the church.
The aspects of faith that resonate with me most are selflessness, connection, and a sense of something bigger than myself. I still believe deeply in the spiritual and the mystical, but I struggle with the certainty that often comes with organized religion. The idea that because there is truth in one faith tradition, all others must be wrong feels strange to me.
Faith as a Personal and Communal Experience
Faith is both personal and communal. Trying to experience it solely on your own means missing out on a huge part of it. A big part of faith is asking questions and wrestling with them alongside other people. That kind of dialogue has always felt more valuable to me than blind certainty.
What does faith mean to me today versus ten years ago? Ten years ago, faith was a cornerstone of my identity. It still shapes who I am, what I believe, and how I act, but I hold it differently now. I feel less certain and more open, more understanding of other faith traditions. I think people in different traditions are often using different words and stories to connect to the same core human truths.
At the same time, I want to integrate faith further into my life. I am a better version of myself when I’m in a place of reflection, gratitude, hope, prayer, and connection. It’s just a better way to be human.
Holding Faith with Openness, Not Certainty
I resonate with the idea that the opposite of faith isn’t doubt, it’s certainty. If I say I’m a Christian, it doesn’t mean I believe you’re wrong, or that I subscribe to all of it without question. It means I believe in something bigger than myself, and I’m open to the mystery of it all.
Balancing personal belief with open-mindedness is important. I hold my perspectives more loosely now, knowing that so much of faith is shaped by the traditions and language we grow up within. But at its core, it’s about connection, to something bigger than ourselves, to others, and to the deeper questions that make us human.
How do you think about faith in your own life? Has your perspective changed over time?