In a world of relentless torment, it’s reasonable to assume there are background forces at work.

Whether one believes those powers are good and evil, light and dark, Elmer Fudd and Bugs Bunny, or God and Lucifer, it’s fair to assume that something is going on that merits our attention.

 To the extent we live on a planet where choice remains an option, most of us get to pick our belief system and take it from there.

That’s true even in North Korea, where you get the choice of dying or worshipping The Great Leader.

 If you’re a good and evil, light and dark, or Elmer and Bugs person, I wish you success.

 As for myself, having thoroughly explored all the above and the many packages in which they come, I have landed on Christianity.

 I didn’t get there by upbringing, habit, blind faith, or simply because this was the path of least resistance.

 Just the opposite. 

 I don’t know anything tougher than being a Christian. I crawl toward God and envy those whose path is more serene. 

 Crawling is hard. Not because God makes it hard, but because I make it hard and the other guy – variously called Satan, the Deceiver, the Devil, the Prince of Darkness, etc. – encourages my resistance.  

 I’m glad to say, with each passing day, he loses more than he wins.

 And so, as a psychologist who believes we should work to grow our head, heart, hand, and spirit every day, let’s take a look at some of the “whys” of that dagnabbit Christian faith.

 Earthly pursuits are not enough — Having a functional view of where we come from, what we should be doing while we are here, and where we are going when we leave here helps us do “here” better. Christians believe that relying on the vanities of man is infinitely more dangerous than depending on the mysteries of God.

 Plan B — The best measurement of a faith is what it does for its people. To each his own, but the historic poverty, violence, sickness, and despair suffered by the majorities in Buddhist, Islamic, Hindu, Taoists, Voodoo, and atheistic inspired cultures are not personally inspirational. 

 It’s for us, not God — Name some earthly thing you are encouraged to do that doesn’t feed somebody’s pockets, appetites for control, or other forms of self-service? Uniquely, Christianity is for us, not God or anything or anyone else. 

Obeying is our key — Belief in God creates peace with God. The other part of the puzzle – the peace of God – has a price in the form of responsibility and obedience. Here’s the point of the Christian sword — you will find nothing that Christ asks us to do that is not of light, love, maturity, wisdom, and for our ultimate benefit. Nothing.

It makes us better  — Few who read this would disagree that man in inherently selfish, immature, and inconsistent. Christianity challenges us to move above all three in spite of our nature.

The Bible’s roadmap — Yep, reading the Bible can feel like trying to decipher the assembly directions for a 1,000 piece Made in China swing set. Amidst all of what appears to be clutter are answers one is hard pressed to find elsewhere. I am on my 15th or so round of “read the Bible in a year,” and am fascinated with what I continue to learn. I remind myself often that nothing good is easy. 

 You don’t get to cheat — The supreme commandments in the Bible are to love God and our fellow man. Bible-based discernment is one thing, but judgment, condemnation, criticism, and anger are not of Christianity. Those are the revealing behaviors of lost or pretending Christians. 

 An ideal role model — Read about Jesus and then ask yourself where you can find a better example. His wisdom, courage, dedication, and sacrifice are unparalleled.

 Because it’s hated — One faith cue for me is that Christianity attracts so much animosity. People don’t like rules or boundaries and tend to hate anything that suggests behavioral limits. Christianity can feel like you have a police officer patrolling just off your bumper. Imagine a world with no police officers and you will understand us a little better.

Grounded in history — Though the Elmer Fudds of the world like to suggest Christianity as a myth, the vigorous science of archology keeps on stumbling over affirming artifacts, documentation, and validating finds that affirm Christianity as more than a man-made fantasy. Besides, if one wished to create a fantasy to control man, why in the world would you make-up one that was so dagnabbit hard?

Yes, I understand that a lot of bad things have been done in the name of Christianity. Apologies are due.

But don’t blame God. 

To the extent that anything from the hand of man is corruptible, it’s easy for faith to get lost in religiosity, man-made vanities, and dogma.

Looking for a way to find out if your faith journey is sincere? Talk to someone you trust.