Faith Over Foolish Superstitions
Are you superstitious? Some people are over the top in that regard. Others pay little or no attention, but because today is Friday the 13th, perhaps we could take a look at what it is that causes us to avoid broken mirrors, cracks in the sidewalk, and walking under ladders.
When I was growing up, my friends and I had what we thought were good-luck charms. As I mentioned recently, I had a rabbit’s foot that was supposed to bring good fortune. Even at a young age, though I think we knew that that was pure fantasy, but we played along with it anyway.
We also had things that we avoided because of urban legends that caused us to be superstitious. One such example was avoiding a particular path in the woods because someone was allegedly buried there. Another one was to stay away from an abandoned house because the family that lived there disappeared one day many years ago, and if we went inside, we, too, would disappear.
As we grow older, we become less likely to fall victim to superstition, but young people, especially in this era of pervasive social media are particularly vulnerable to such falsehoods. As a result, it is important that we help them to build a strong foundation in faith through worship, education, service, prayer, and devotion.
The Bible also addresses the subject of superstition in a number of passages, including I Timothy 4:7, which advises us to “have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train [ourself] for godliness.” Colossians 2:8 states that we are to “see to it that no one takes [us] captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.”
Well, that certainly seems like excellent advice. Still, some people occasionally get caught up in practices or rituals that are complete nonsense, so just to be safe, we are advised to turn away from such practices and instead focus on what is true and genuine in Scripture.
The best way to defend oneself against superstitious practices is to be grounded in Christ, and for that we turn to II Timothy 1:7, which reminds us that God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. That will lead us away from the darkness and into the light.
And, of course, we all know the rock on which our faith is built. The familiar passage comes to us from the Gospel of John 14:6, when Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
Superstitions have no dominion over us if we follow the Lord, keep His commandments, and pledge to love him with all of our heart, our soul, and our might, and to love our neighbor as ourself.
That’s no superstition. That’s an absolute truth and the fundamental foundation of our faith on which we can be fully assured.
Until We Meet Again, Be Blessed! – Pastor John