The second definition of dabbling is “to take part in an activity in a casual or superficial way.” Unfortunately, I have seen numerous people who dabble at faith. They attend Church on a couple of holidays or occasionally for a few months, and then they disappear. Later, I will run into them and ask them about their faith. They will say something like, “I tried, and it didn’t do anything for me.” At moments like this I want to scream (but don’t), “You never really tried faith, you only made a superficial attempt at it!”

Following Jesus is a lifestyle you only understand when you are immersed in living it. It is not an activity that you observe a few times and then can make a categorical statement about its value. You must walk in the path of Jesus beside other believers in a deeply committed way for an extended period to understand it.

-You will never know the gravity of grace until you weep with another believer after you have sinned.
-You will never know the power of community until you stand beside another believer who is hurting, and you feel their pain and struggle.
-You will never know the wisdom of God until you have spent years learning and listening to teachers who have experienced it in their life.
-You will never know the presence of God until you have worshipped beside people who love Jesus deeply and unashamedly.
-You will never know what it means to really believe until you have stood with someone who keeps their faith through times of loss.
-You will never know faith until you let go of your past and walk differently into an unknown future.

To honestly know faith, you cannot dabble at the edges for a couple of Sundays. Every week my heart hurts for someone because I know they need to experience the life of Jesus in a deeper and more meaningful way, but they are only dabbling at it.

If you are a new believer, know that it will take a while for things to feel right. If you are about to give up on Jesus and his Church, then let me encourage you to hang on a little longer. You will never know the power of faith until you stop dabbling and give yourself entirely to God season after season. In a world of instant gratification, a Christian is someone willing to wait for things to develop.