Andy Griffith-style Faith

“I guess it’s a time like this, when you’re asked to believe something that just don’t seem possible, that’s the moment that decides whether you got faith in somebody or not.” -Andy Taylor in The Andy Griffith Show

One of my favorite TV stations has been showing old episodes of the Andy Griffith Show. Number 7 on the viewers’ choice list might just be my top pick. It’s the one where Opie makes friends with a man named Mr. McBeevee. The problem is Andy thinks Opie has made up this character and is using him as an excuse to get out of chores.

When Opie shows up with a quarter in his pocket that he claims was a gift from Mr. McBeevee, Andy decides this game of pretend has gone too far. Opie is sent to his room. Andy tries to get him to recant, but Opie knows what he knows to be true. With a quivering lip, he looks up at his dad and says, “Don’t you believe me, Pa?” I love Andy’s response.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15BYCYsn-OU

We know Jesus’ disciples had a hard time believing all the stuff he was telling them. It just didn’t make sense to them, given what they understood at the time. To us churchy folk, who know how the story comes out, it’s maybe not so difficult. Faith in Christ might be relatively easy when you’re a part of the church. So then, can we still call it faith? If Opie’s story didn’t sound so far-fetched, Andy wouldn’t have had so much trouble with it. The fact that he takes Opie’s word, in spite of his doubt, is what makes it remarkable.

What might be a better parallel in our lives today than the kind of faith we profess in Christ is whether we trust our brothers and sisters whose beliefs do not match up neatly with our own. If you are one of those people, as I am, that has struggled to make themselves understood in the face of a majority opposition, you may feel a lot like Opie did. He does his best to explain to his dad, in terms that make sense to him, but Andy just doesn’t get it. Both of them are hurt.

It is Opie’s faith that seems to in turn inspire his father’s faith. If we, too, can be inspired by one another’s faith, even that which we find different or hard to understand, we might also find reconciliation and healing of our relationships within the church. Standing firm with our arms folded doesn't allow us to reach out. It's pretty hard to do what God has called us to do that way.