How can I reconcile my faith with what science actually tells us?

This is the real work, isn't it? I've spent decades in this space—the tension between what we know empirically and what we feel spiritually. The first thing to release is the idea that they must compete for the same territory. Science tells us how the physical world operates; faith addresses why we're here and what it means to love, to seek, to belong. I've found that the most alive people aren't those who've chosen one over the other, but those willing to hold both. When I read about the universe's scale through modern physics, I feel the same awe that moved me in prayer. When I witness suffering that medicine cannot yet cure, I return to what sustains humans across centuries—spiritual practice, community, meaning-making. The examined relationship isn't about proving one right and one wrong. It's about asking: What does each reveal about human experience? Where do they genuinely conflict versus where have I been taught they must? Start there. Read widely—not just your tradition's defenders, but honest scientists and theologians wrestling the same questions. The ache of seeking you feel isn't a problem to solve; it's the signature of a sincere life.