I Love Words!

will-o'-the-wisp (noun):

1 : a light that appears at night over marshy ground

*2 : a misleading or elusive goal or hope

*=Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence):

Example: Though her friends think she's chasing a will-o'-the-wisp, Alexis is determined to quit her job and follow her dream of becoming a pop music star.

Cool Facts: The will-o'-the-wisp is a flame-like phosphorescence caused by gases from decaying plants in marshy areas. In olden days, it was personified as "Will with the wisp," a sprite who carried a fleeting "wisp" of light. Foolish travelers were said to try to follow the light and were then led astray into the marsh. (An 18th-century fairy tale described Will as one "who bears the wispy fire to trail the swains among the mire.") The light was first known, and still also is, as "Ignis Fatuus," which in Latin means "foolish fire." Eventually, the name "will-o'-the-wisp" was extended to any impractical or unattainable goal.

Teachings of Jesus

Excerpt from Jaroslav Pelikan's "Jesus Through the Centuries":

"Asserting that not reason but faith was the foundation of "our most holy religion," he concluded with the argument that faith was itself the greatest miracle, and indeed the only miracle:

'On the whole, we may conclude that the Christian Religion not only was at first attended with miracles, but even at this day cannot be believed by any reasonable person without one. Mere reason is insufficient to convince us of its veracity: And whoever is moved by Faith to assent to it, is conscious of a continued miracle in his own person, which subverts all the principles of his understanding, and gives him a determination to believe that is most contrary to custom and experience.' " --David Hume

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In a world dominated by the importance of science, cold-hard facts, and reason, I find myself looking more enviously on those around me whose faith is strong enough to not be rumbled by the question of "evidence". I think that is what makes faith such a beautiful thing. It is the ability to believe in something unseen....to be certain of something without evidence....to commit yourself to a cause that you will never be 100% sure of but in your heart you know it will bring you divine happiness. My best friend Megan told me in Chile one morning which we were stretching together that she understands that she can live without religion in her life...people do it every day, and both she and them get up each morning and go to bed each night after a long day. But then she said to me: "I could live without it...but why would I? Doing everything with the love and support of Jesus makes it all so much more worthwhile."

I challenge you today to think about where you are with your own thoughts on faith in this very moment. I, personally, am still on the journey from naive believer to skeptical college student to theologically-educated adult. It's been a journey of almost 22 years, but I thank the lord that he has patience and that he has put such strong believers in my life to guide me through. If you read this and you want to share your thoughts with me, send me an email at roselinehan@umail.ucsb.edu. And have a blessed and enlightened day! :)