arlier this year I found myself struggling because my “pillars of faith” were almost all gone. Those who had shaped my faith, on whom I had relied, were passing on to the next life at a rate much quicker than I had ever expected. My father finished his earthly race in December. Then in January, I lost another dear friend and mentor who had always been there for me. As I sat at my friend’s memorial service, I felt grief welling up inside of me. It seemed as if the foundation under me was being swept away and my footing seemed unsteady. One of my few remaining pillars was sitting behind me at that service. Noticing my visible despair, he leaned forward and said, “We are having too many of these.”

I responded, “I feel like I am supposed to be happy, but I am struggling with that. It is hard having your pillars of faith leave.”

He hugged me and said, “Now it is your turn. You are to be the pillar.”

My immediate response was “I am not prepared to be someone else’s pillar. I am not strong enough.”

He responded, “You are one of the strongest women I know.”

I left the funeral that day feeling troubled. I knew in my heart I wasn’t strong enough to be my own pillar, let alone someone else’s pillar. Frankly, I was tired. I was tired of being strong. Then I realized that we never know who might be looking to us as their “pillar.”  That scared me. I struggled because I didn’t want anyone else to feel like I was feeling at that moment. I did not want someone else’s spiritual foundation to crumble if I died, or stumbled, or moved away…

Over the next few days and weeks I struggled with this concept, and I started to examine the concept of “a pillar.”  Webster defines “pillar” as “a firm upright support for a structure, a source of strength, a fundamental precept.”

What do we place as “pillars” of our faith?

Basically, pillars are things that hold up something else. They provide support and add strength to the structure. However, if the pillars are taken away, or they deteriorate and lose strength – the structure will fall. This is exactly the feeling I was experiencing.

Then the revelation came. We better pick our pillars of faith very carefully. Pillars need to be things that can’t be taken away… things that cannot fail.

I recognize that in the beginning, it is natural to make the things that influence or shape our faith into pillars. It is easy to make pillars out of people who taught us about faith. Sometimes we allow our churches, denominations, institutions, or traditions to become pillars. Some people make a pillar out of an experience or an emotion. These pillars tend to be problematic because:

• People are human and will often let you down. They are mortal and will not be here forever;
• Institutions are lead by humans. They are subject to pressure from culture, politics, finances, and varying viewpoints; and,
• Emotions and experiences are not reliable because they are impacted by what goes on around us, and by the recurring worldview that God just wants us to be happy.

As we mature in faith, we need to replace those temporary pillars with things that are more permanent; otherwise, we risk having the foundation of our faith crack beneath us.

So the next question was obvious: What are my pillars of faith going to be?

This led me on a journey….

Does the New Testament talk about “pillars” in this way?

The Greek word for pillar is stulos [Strong’s Greek 4769 “a pillar, support, column”] and it is used 4 times in the New Testament. God is funny. I found that three of the four uses of “pillar” in the New Testament were those categories I had listed as problematic… and they were in order of how I had listed them!

• Galatians 2:9  “James, Peter, and John, those reputed to be pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me.” (people who were pillars)
• I Timothy 3:15  “…if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of truth.” (institution/church that was a pillar)
• Revelation 3:11-12  “I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God.” (emotion/experience that was a pillar)
• Revelation 10:1  “Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars.”

I had to stop and reevaluate. Was my thought process completely wrong?  After examining these verses, I don’t think so. These examples of “pillars of faith” were so close to Jesus, the source of our faith, that they pointed directly to Jesus. The question remained, could these types of pillars be problematic?

Examples of pillars that caused problems in the New Testament?

• Are there examples of people being the pillar of someone’s faith? It seems that some of John the Baptist’s followers made John their pillar. John had to remind them that Jesus was the Christ and that Jesus must increase, and John must decrease.
• Are there examples of institutions or traditions being the pillar of someone’s faith? I believe there are a couple of examples. First, this is partly what caused the Pharisees to have such a tough time with Jesus. In addition to the Law, they had made the oral teachings and traditions of the Jewish people their pillar – and Jesus was shaking up their interpretations. Second, for many Jews, circumcision and dietary restrictions were pillars of their faith. When Gentiles became followers of The Way, this became problematic.
• Are there examples of emotion or experience being the pillar of someone’s faith? The people were expecting that Jesus would come and lead a revolution against the Roman oppression. They felt that freedom from the Romans would bring them happiness, and they desired to establish an earthly kingdom where the Israelites would once again control the land.

These are just a few examples of how pillars created problems for many regarding their understanding of who Jesus was and, subsequently, their willingness to place their faith in Him.

What are we to do?

We must be like the wise man in the parable of the wise and foolish builders.

Luke 6:47-48

“I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. He is like a man building his house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but it could not shake it, because it was well built.”

Our pillars of faith must be deep and fastened to God, our Rock. Like the piles of a bridge that are hammered into the soil beneath the bridge until they reach a hard layer of compacted soil or rock, our pillars must be securely embedded in Him.

What are your pillars of faith? Your pillars won’t look exactly like mine, but make sure they are things that are eternal, which cannot be taken away.

Moses gave the Israelites a good place to start when determining their pillars, and it applies to us as well:

Deuteronomy 10:12-13

“And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the LORD and His statues which I command you today for your good.”

Be a pointer, not a pillar.

Sometimes we might find ourselves in a situation where someone is using us as a pillar of their faith. I pray that we will recognize this and purposefully become a “pointer” instead of a pillar. John the Baptist was a pointer. He knew the only thing that mattered was to point people to Christ.

John set the perfect example for us. May we find joy as others find Jesus. May we recognize that Jesus must always become greater, and we must become less. (John 3:30)

I pray that God will put people who are seeking Him in our paths. May our lives look so different from the world that people are drawn to us. May we exhibit attitudes that foster conversations about being different from the world and, thereby, reveal our faith in God. Finally, I pray that as we point people to Christ, we will help them develop strong pillars of faith that are grounded in God, our Rock, who provides a firm foundation.