(The following is an excerpt from the book “Finding Faith in a Logical World.”)

Sometimes it’s hard to separate superstition and faith. Since both involve a belief in something unproven, the lines can become blurred, and it’s all too easy to drift into superstition when we try to invoke our faith. So, our first test of our power of logical thinking, our first quest for the truth comes by distinguishing between faith and superstition

Many of us have quirky little beliefs regarding luck. Anything from four-leaf clovers to wearing our “lucky” sox. Yet most of us would admit, if pressed, that our superstitions are harmless fantasies or baseless hopes or fears. We want to find that magical formula that will ensure us good fortune. We want to dodge bad luck. So, we indulge ourselves by engaging in silly little rituals “just in case.”

If we were challenged to “prove” our rituals or beliefs produced real results, we would probably be hard-pressed for evidence.

Remember, we are using logic here. How much power over our lives can we ascribe to a piece of vegetation? How influential can a pair of sox be in our daily lives? Or, is it possible that our superstitious beliefs cause us to look for good things to happen and we find them. Would those same good things occur if we left those sox in the drawer and instead simply made the choice to maintain a positive attitude and expect good things?

It is, perhaps, human nature to be constantly seeking that lucky formula. If we buy a lottery ticket at a particular retailer, on a particular day, at a particular time, will that improve our chances of winning? What if we wear our lucky sox that day?

We seem to be subconsciously aware that there is some type of order to the universe, and if we could just understand that order, everything will work to our advantage. Our fumbling attempts to identify that formula lead us into the realm of superstition, and coincidentally lead us to search for that universal power we call God.

While early man may have had a similar idea, that a higher power existed, he allowed himself to stray into the realm of superstition, believing that his actions would somehow please that higher power and that the higher power would then reward him.

Faith, as we know it today, also acknowledges that there is a higher power, but we now hold that this higher power is an unseen, unknowable force responsible for all of creation. We call this force – God. As He is the creator of all things, we conclude that there is nothing we have to offer that isn’t already His – except our devotion and obedience.

Through the Bible, we now understand that a life filled with joy and riches, free of pain and suffering, is not what God offers us. His greatest earthly gift to us, free will, comes at a price. That price is to endure all that our earthly existence throws our way. The message of Christianity is that our ultimate reward does not exist in this life experience.

Superstition is seeking that magic action that will cause God to reward us like a lottery winner.

Faith is trust – trust that there is a higher power, and that higher power always has our best interest in mind, even when we are distressed by circumstances in our lives.