Oh My, Gayle Has A Serious Thought

Lately in the evenings, hubby has been reading a great kids biography series and our current book is on JFK. (By the way, this series has some great biographies in it with lots of pencil drawings and interesting facts. I highly recommend it!)


Who was John F. Kennedy?

Tonight we read a chapter about how big a deal it was that JFK was the first catholic president ever elected. During his campaigning, the voters were concerned that his faith (and the pope) would influence him while in office. His response? He urged people to put aside their worries. His religion was personal and would not interfere with being president. That really struck something in me that made me question if his faith WAS personal or if it was just tradition.

My faith affects every aspect of my life; my decisions, my thoughts, my actions, my conscience. There is no way to separate it from who I am or what I do! Do I always do or say what’s right? Do I always make good decisions? Heck, no! But my faith is always there either guiding my decisions or words, or being used to convict me to seek forgiveness. My relationship with God is personal. He’s a real live being that guides and comforts me, not a series of traditions or expectations.

So that really makes me question JFK’s faith. If it doesn’t affect his entire life and he can keep it separate, locked away in a box to be pulled out only at certain times, well, is that true faith?