Faith in Foxholes

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“In faith, there is enough light for those who want to believe and enough shadows to blind those who don’t.” – Blaise Pascal

We have a family story that has always fascinated me. When I was in my 20’s, my dad’s mom, Nana, told me the story of my dad’s first two years and how she prayed for his life.

Following his birth, my dad contracted dysentery at the hospital and was sickly for two years, eventually resulting in rickets.  All 13 bottle-fed babies born the same week as my father contracted dysentery because the machine for sterilizing the bottles was contaminated. My dad was the only baby to survive.

Finally, at the end of his second year, Nana was exhausted and worried. One day out in the back yard in the weak Seattle sun, trying to get my dad to soak up some Vitamin D, she made a bargain with God that if He would save him, my dad would be HIS for a life time.

My dad got better. And amazingly, he did go on to become a Presbyterian pastor. But not because of any overt influence from his parents who were not church-goers or in today’s parlance, even particularly spiritual. In fact, my grandmother didn’t tell my dad about her prayer until he was almost done with seminary.

I only heard the story because my grandmother told it to me. Whenever I brought it up with my dad, he’d always chuckle about it but he never seemed to give it much credence. Finally my mom added to my clarity about what she thought of the story when she said, “It was faith in a foxhole.”

She meant that my Nana only prayed because her back was up against the wall, not because she had any great faith. And for people who were incredibly dedicated to their faith as my dad was and my mom still is, I think my grandmother’s one-off belief seemed silly.

Mahatma Gandhi said about prayer, “Prayer is not asking. It is a longing of the soul. It is a daily admission of one’s weakness. It is better to have in prayer to have a heart without words than words without a heart.” And as someone who meditates daily, I agree that having a practice keeps the channel open and the sense of possibility alive.

But I also think that the Divine shows up whenever we bother to look. And the fact that some people look more often than others doesn’t make it less real or miraculous. God is in the foxholes and then it’s up to us to connect the dots when we get out. As the 12th century Jewish philosopher Maimonides said, “We are like someone in a very dark night over whom lightning flashes again and again.”

What about you – do you think faith in foxholes is real? Or is it only real if we consistently work at it?

(featured photo from Pexels)

My book about my journey to find what fueled my dad’s faith, spark and twinkle can be found on Amazon: Finding My Father’s Faith.

61 thoughts on “Faith in Foxholes”

  1. Foxholes are a real thing and when you are in those you find out who cares real quick. If you go through the foxhole with me then have the right to say whatever is on your mind. If you didn’t then I struggle with those folks. Those folks that like to tell you what you should have done.

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  2. Wow, I love this. We are playing God anytime we think that we know which spiritual interactions are real or not. I don’t think we should poo-pooh anyone else’s beliefs just because they don’t line up exactly with what we believe or meet the criteria that we expect. Thank goodness that people like your Nana can sense & reach out to a higher power during their hour of need (in the foxhole). Doesn’t sound like a coincidence to me that your dad wound up in the ministry. Thanks for sharing the story.

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    1. I’m with you, Gwen. It doesn’t seem like a coincidence that he landed where he did to me either! And I love what you saying about playing God when we judge what encounters are valid. Thank you for the great comment!

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  4. I believe there is faith in both metaphorical and physical foxholes. Many an otherwise non-churchgoing soldier found himself reaching out for divine guidance in his hour of need.

    I love this story, btw!

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  5. “But I also think that the Divine shows up whenever we bother to look. And the fact that some people look more often than others doesn’t make it less real or miraculous.” I’m with you. Who am I to say where God has or hasn’t been!

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  6. What a beautiful piece Wynne. You never know when God is going to show up and show out. Oftentimes, He does some of the most awe-inspiring things when we least expect it, even in our foxhole moments. Lovely story and share. 🤗🙏🏼🥰

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  7. Beautifully written and such wonderful things to think about. I love all the quotes you included and especially this: “But I also think that the Divine shows up whenever we bother to look. And the fact that some people look more often than others doesn’t make it less real or miraculous. “

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  8. What a beautiful and powerful story, Wynne. Amazing how your dad fulfilled that promise that your Nana made and truly a miracle that he was the only baby that survived. Really, the odds can only be contributed to a higher power!

    I believe, like you, that prayer is a longing of the soul and it’s about quality not quantity.

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  9. Faith is anywhere and everywhere, but mostly it comes from within. Even though your Nana prayed only when she was in a supremely difficult situation, it doesn’t mean she didn’t have faith. At that moment she believed and her prayers were answered. Perhaps that deepened her faith even though she didn’t pronounce it to those around her. It’s a lovely story Wynne, and I’m glad your Nana’s prayers were answered. Otherwise you wouldn’t be you and the world would miss out. 💕

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  11. What a fascinating story, Wynne. How incredible that your father was the only child to survive. I’m intrigued by the concept of “faith in a foxhole” and “prayer as a longing of the soul.” It makes sense that in desperate situations, we’ll try to bargain for salvation or some relief. When I was ill, I often turned to a God I wasn’t sure I believed in. Having come out the other side mostly unscathed, I have a much stronger faith and sense that I’m being guided by some higher power.

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  12. Goodness, that’s a powerful story of your dad being the only baby to survive of the group. Also, you’ve added a powerful statement of one-time desperate seeking, as well as long-term faith: “And the fact that some people look more often than others doesn’t make it less real or miraculous.”

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  13. We had some interesting discussions about faith this Easter because we celebrated with people who had a variety of belief and practices. Some didn’t believe in God at all but enjoyed any reason for a family celebration, others were done with organized religions all together but continued their own spiritual practices, and a few still attended church and celebrated traditionally. I believe our faith is very personal, it inspires many practices and forms, all of which I appreciate and respect especially if the fruit of such practices is kindness, compassion and love. I’ve always felt strongly that there are many paths all leading to the same destination. Hugs, C

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    1. Many paths to the same destination – exactly. My dad thought the same.

      I’m writing this response to you comment as I listen back to our podcast to get it ready for publication. So fun to hear all over again what a great episode it is. Can’t wait for it to drop on Friday!

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  14. Aren’t we supposed to not judge others? Trying to determine if faith is real because it’s short lived, vs. keeping the faith is also a form of judgment. Best not diminish anyone’s faith, whether long or short!

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  16. Great post, Wynne. I’m currently reading your book, and the introduction was really intense. My goodness, I think I cried like three times before finishing it, and there were only six pages. I’m on chapter eight now. I plan to write a review, but I want you to know that you are a master storyteller. 🙏🏽

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  17. Wynne, I think miracles are possible and prayers can be answered, whether they are sent from a foxhole or the same bedside vigil, night after night. But I do think it is possible there is more passion in the foxhole delivery, and therefore more chance of an answer. (?) You see, prayers when delivered with passionate intention are not just answered by an external being. We connect with the All, and are part of the manifestation process. I wrote in my (true-life) story ‘Miracle in the Park’: “It seems to me that miracles are answers to truly heartfelt prayers, requests made with the unshakable faith that they can be delivered. The deeper we go within ourselves to connect to All That Is, the bigger the answer we get back from the universe, one that says, “Okay! Here it is. You can’t miss this one!”
    Religious stories say that Jesus could perform miracles at will. Perhaps these were answers to a bigger prayer, a plea to be shown what was possible collectively for humanity. I just know that a miracle came to me when I released the need to figure it out on my own, and when I humbly asked for help.”

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    1. What an insightful comment. I love your point about the passion in the foxhole delivery. Yes! And I love your note about “You can’t miss this one!” For sure! thank you, Susan!

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  18. Fascinating about your Dad, Wynne. After reading your book, I know he was meant to survive for all the influence he had on others in his lifetime.

    I think it’s human nature to resort to prayer when we need something. Developing a prayer habit takes discipline. That’s something I’ve been working on during the Alpha Course—approaching prayer more as a conversation than a request. Thanks for this.

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  21. Wow, what a story! He was the only one out of 13 babies that survived-amazing! Equally amazing is that your Grandma didn’t even tell him about her prayer until he was grown and finishing seminary.

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  22. Hmm, this makes me think … Let’s see I do think so only because ok this may be a bad example. When my dad was dying of cancer my mom who was a very religious lady – she prayed had all my siblings praying constantly hoping God would cure or giive my dad more time. My dad sadly lost the fight and Sadly her prayers all our prayers did not come true. When my mom was dying a year later it was as if she had given up on her faith she was heartbroken and hurt for being so faithful in her relgion all that that had happened took a toll on her heart and diabetes so I believe it is possible for a woman of such faith can turn away in such fear and defeat then I believe someone who doesnt belueve or practice religious and faces the same fear, or desperate fait can turn to God.

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    1. Oh, I’m sorry to hear about your mom and your dad. That’s so hard. The idea that sometimes prayers aren’t answered the way that we want is heartbreaking. No doubt that is hard whether we believe or don’t. Sending lots of good thoughts.

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  23. This is such a lovely post! Do you think the divine within is striving to connect with the divine without during the foxhole times? Faith is so personal and I believe everyone has access to it whether they do so once in a while or all the time…or even never..thanks for so much food for thought🙂☀️

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  28. I totally believe that faith in the foxholes is real. In the day to day grind, we may relegate our faith to the back seat…it’s still riding along wherever we go, but we aren’t actively engaging with it. It may take a foxhole for us to bring it back front and center again….but it has always been there. (been there, done this too many times).

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  29. This is so good, Dawn. I totally resonate with, “we may relegate our faith to the back seat…it’s still riding along wherever we go.” Right!! Thank you!

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