Craig Columnist Asks How We Lost Faith Legacy

Steamboat Springs —The wind off the San Juan Mountains still carries the scent of pine resin and dry dust, a reminder that we are standing on ground that was once crossed by people who defied logic to follow a calling.

Victoria Van Couvering, writing in the Craig Daily Press, opens her faith column with a reflection that cuts through the noise of our 250th anniversary celebrations. She asks a question that might make you pause mid-step on your morning walk: "How did we lose the legacy of their faith and un-common sense?"

It’s a phrase that sticks in the mind — "un-common sense." It suggests a kind of wisdom that doesn’t fit neatly into spreadsheets or risk assessments. Van Couvering points to the early settlers who left the relative safety of Europe for hazardous sea voyages. They weren’t driven by a desire for wealth alone, but by a belief that their lifestyle would honor God "in spirit and truth."

If you look closely at the biblical passages she cites, there’s a warmth to the idea that our understanding is limited. Proverbs 3:5 tells us not to rely on our own understanding. Isaiah 55 reminds us that God’s thoughts are higher than ours, "as the heavens are higher than the earth." This isn’t about blind obedience; it’s about acknowledging that there is a perspective larger than our immediate circumstances.

Van Couvering challenges the notion of national rededication days. Did every person in Moffat County truly repent and pray? She doubts it. Was it a political extravaganza? Perhaps. But she shifts the focus from human metrics to divine observation. Citing 1 Samuel 16:6, she notes that while people look on outward appearance, the Lord looks at the heart. God saw the hearts of every soul in America on that day, just as He does every day.

This perspective offers a quiet comfort. We don’t need to perform our faith for an audience. We just need to be honest. The foundation for this "un-common sense" life, as Paul described in Romans 12:2, is to not conform to the pattern of the world but to be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

As the sun dips below the ridge, casting long shadows across the valley, you can feel it — the weight of history and the lightness of hope coexisting in the same breath. The road ahead is not always straight, but the path is there, waiting to be walked with open eyes and an open heart.