Faith & Weed: the connection and the questions

[Ben Harper "Waiting On an Angel"]*

This blog is a chronicle of my “food quest.” AKA: monitors my eating habits and links it to spirituality and overall well-being.

This past weekend an element, not mentioned above, was added to the mix. I’m in exploration mode with this substance, so it’s been a blessing and an intriguing last three days for my mind. Figuring out how this substance does or doesn’t meld with my life, beliefs, standards, spirituality and goals is something I relish. It is the privilege of free will at its ripest moment. I thank God for such an ideal situation in the past four weeks, making this exploration possible.

My conclusions have yet to arrive, but I know where to start thinking. There is no doubt smoking weed alters the way one views the world. Nor is there any doubt that smoking weed seems to make everything better. Generally people feel happy when smoking — though not everybody. My experiences are never less than happy.

I’m surprised at the simplicity of the effects of weed. While amazing in the moment, in reality it does not alter much. I realized yesterday that when all is said and done, weed simply gives you more faith; more faith to believe in things, whatever it may be — from the goodwill of people to your abilities. It somehow frees your mind to have faith in the power of a song or the awesomeness of a dance routine.

You look outside yourself and notice objects, songs, movies, scenes at Starbucks and the moon. You notice these things with complete confidence in what they stand for. Light reflected by the moon down onto your skin against the night air becomes an iconic moment. It’s not just light as part of the solar system. Its white shine dotes upon you, as a spotlight from heaven it seems to smile sweetly and brightly, saying hello.

Though you are but a grain of sand in all the earth, something as majestic as the moon illuminates you, notices you, and even more amazingly, you’re allowed to experience it.

There is nothing inherently bad about such an experience as this. My responsibility, in light of weed’s effects, is to hold it against who God created me to be — time for a rigorous examination.

Not only must I examine the experience of weed against who God created me to be, but also I must look at the situation from the perspective of what God created me to do. Already I’m giggling at myself. I will never be able to thoroughly explain all God created me to do, nor the complexities that arise when comparing such an ideal against activities like brushing your teeth, showing up to work on time, smoking weed, cultivating friendships and the list goes on. One could ask, “How does brushing your teeth contribute to what God created you to do?” Such questions spark a philosophical discussion I don’t have time for because as all philosophers and armchair philosophers know: there is no one answer to arrive at, everything can be questioned again, ultimately to have no resolve other than to walk in what you know.

I must acknowledge I can never know the full extent of God’s plan for me. This is reassuring because it confirms I’m only to walk in what faith I have, giving every step to God and walking for his glory.

I do not believe there is anything inherently bad about smoking weed. I do not know if the experience contributes to my spirit positively or not. Does smoking weed get me closer to Jesus or farther away? I don’t know yet. That is where I am in this thought process.

I would like to acknowledge God in this situation, because he is faithful. I started praying about smoking last spring when I knew I would be embarking on the exploration of smoking marijuana. The night that kicked off this season is humbling to look back on. It was everything I prayed for, and during all my smoking since then I have yet to feel as at home and relaxed as that night. It was exactly what I prayed for.

Since then, I pray before each light up. I am open with people about my smoking (with an exception relating to Romans 14:5-23) and I am blessed by the words of caution I receive. Through all of this, I am convinced there is nothing more beautiful than exploring this earth hand-in-hand with God.

So in faith I continue in this season, feeling a conclusion to my thoughts and questions coming but not yet seeing it. With God’s good grace, I continue walking.

An update will be posted when I have more to say!

*The reason for this song with this post: Harper may be singing about the woman he loves or the angel he wishes would take him to heaven. For me this song is a sweet remembrance of a desire I resonate with: when all is said and done, what I want more than anything is to be taken to my Savior. The questions we trouble ourselves with are chaff in the wind compared to his throne in heaven.