Is it not a little weird, believing in this all powerful and invisible being known as God? To describe such belief in this unseen creator as faith only begins to describe the circumstances. It would be easy to believe in God if he talked to us each day, if he came and met up with us at Starbucks, or if he just gave us some kind of a sign. I have made those sorts of prayers, “God, if you are out there, if you care for me and love me....... Than.... Let me know you are out there, give me something!” I don’t know about you, but I have yet to come across a burning bush, and I have yet to see the Red Sea be parted. We can read about all of these types of stories all throughout the Bible, but the common saying is: Seeing is believing. To dedicate your life towards believing in the “unseen” requires an immense amount of faith... I am, of course, just speaking the obvious here.
What is really cool is when, in each of our lives, we find our own proof for God. Sure, there are the universal arguments for the existence of a god. For some people it comes by admiring creations- the moon, the stars, the planets, sunrises, snowy mountains, or lighting. Other’s might find proof for a god through more complex reasoning- tracing back the origins of life, arguments for motion, arguments for efficient cause, or arguments for the gradation of beings. And while all of these perplexing arguments for a god (or for the God of the Bible) certainly hold their worth, to me the best proof for God can be seen in looking at each and every individual’s “story”.
There are literally billions of people who call themselves Christians. And before us, there were even billions more. This is no exaggeration, BILLIONS of people. These billions of people all share one thing in common: They all have (or had) faith in the existence of God. Even before science could begin to start explaining the ins and outs of the world, before the discovery of molecules and cells, and before evolution ever became a topic of debate; people have had faith in God. While I do not seek to discredit or rule out any scientific explanations that exist for or against God, I will argue that these overwhelming instances of people having faith in God can stand to be our best evidence.
It is each person’s testimony, each person’s own experiences, and each person’s own reasons for believing in God that are so special. People just like you and me, with their own reasons for having a faith in God. Each person has their own story- God makes his presence felt in the most unique of ways. If faith in God is so prevalent, than isn’t there some basis for believing in God. Surely these billions of people aren’t all lunatics... The fact of the matter is, even with science and all theology put aside, billions of people have found reason enough to believe. Billions of people have had faith in God, it is a an overwhelmingly abundant compilation of testimonies and experiences. Time after time, God has made himself known. Time after time, people have experienced God. Time after time people have lived and sworn by his existence. Time after time people have grown towards having a faith in this unknown and unseen God.
And though I am just (literally) one in a billion, just a speck on this earth, I would like to share my “story”. Particularly I would just like to share with you a few recent aspects of my life that leave me here right now in awe. Aspects that, in my life, give me every reason to have a faith and belief in God.
1) The Ability to Read- That probably sounds pretty stupid, because like most of us I have been able to read since elementary school. However, I have struggled for years and years with what I consider to be a learning disability. I cannot read, and I don’t say that in the sense of, “I can’t do it because I absolutely hate it!” No, I literally mean I cannot read. I cannot ever read and retain anything. It is something I have only told a few people, and something that I have managed to work through and cover up for many years.
During all of middle school and high school, I never once finished one of my school’s required readings. In fact, I used to bend the books and fold them at the spine to make it appear as if I had been reading. I could never even retain any information from my attempts to simply read Spark Notes. I would pay close attention in class and highlight anything that other students would mention as being important, so that I could refer back to the highlights for essays, and that was usually enough to get me through. I would play it off well, and just “brag” to my friends about how I never read any of the chapters and yet I got good (average) grades on discussions and on essays. But my bragging was merely a cover up, truth was I couldn’t have read the books at all. I tried everything, tried reading out loud, tried going slower, tried reading each page twice- nothing helped.
On standardized testings I would just hunt and search for the answers throughout the readings. Likewise, reading scores on ACT’s or CSAP’s would be my lowest. And this is all hard for me to admit, especially because one of my biggest mentors towards the end of high school was in fact an English Teacher. But its the absolute truth. I BS’d my way through anything that had to do with English or Reading, I hated English! It was such a frustrating inability of mine that I would even make my girlfriend read aloud to me (sometimes hundreds of pages at a time) books, magazines, and Bible stories because I couldn’t do it for myself. Bottom line: I have a learning disability when it comes to reading and retaining ANY information. This is the absolute truth.......
And just this last month, I read my first book from cover to cover... It was a book titled Crazy Love by Francis Chan. I found the book at Wal-Mart, in the cologne aisle of all places. It was like a sign to me, though I “knew” I could never read it I bought it anyways. I finished the book the same night that I bought it, without the slightest of problems remembering what it was about. In fact I could just about summarize it chapter by chapter for you. This was the first of many books that I have read through these last months. I am addicted to Christian literature now.
Beyond that, I am finally able to read and retain information from the Bible. My faith used to be entirely based off of what I had been taught about Christianity, based off of what I had learned from others. I used to tell people that I “wasn’t much for studying the Bible”, that “I didn’t care to know its ins and outs.” This was, of course, a lame coverup for my reading incompetence. I am reading through the Bible, reading through Christian books, and finally being able to explore for myself the wisdom of God. I don’t mean to turn this into a tear-jerking story, nor do I write this for sympathy. The point is this, for someone like me. For someone that truly struggled with reading, it is a miracle that I am now able to. It is living proof (in my life anyway) that God is right here with me...
2) Pride Breaking- This is perhaps the greatest proof that there is a God. It isn’t mere coincidence that I prayed for God to break me of my prideful lifestyle, and then he sent me crashing and stumbling to the bottom. Without getting redundant or without telling my sob story, if you don’t believe in God... Pray that God will break you. If you don’t believe God is out there, have him humble you. If you want PROOF that God is out there......... Ask him to break you, because I promise you he will. And I promise you that you will be left speechless and doubtless. There is a God.
3) Restlessness- I am a borderline insomniac. Anyone who has ever received a random text from me at 3:47 A.M. knows this. If you are ever up late and needing someone to talk to, I am always your guy. I sometimes get made fun of by some of my closest friends and family members at the fact that I always sleep in so late (usually till noon or later), but what people don’t see is that this isn’t necessarily by choice. I can’t sleep. I sleep in late because by the time I finally do fall asleep, waking up at noon is the only way to end up getting more than 4-5 hours of sleep. I will tell people I am going to bed, brush my teeth, get of of Facebook, and lay in bed. But I am restless... My mind races, my thoughts wonder, and I don’t have peace of mind enough to ever shut my body off. Its terrible. My father recently sat me down and had a talk with me about why I stay up so late. He was concerned, probably thinking I was up to no good... But I can’t help it.
Here’s a confession, during recent hardships I even got addicted to sleeping medicine for a few months. I would drink an entire bottle of Night Time Medicine within 4-5 days because it was the only way I could settle my mind down enough to stop thinking and sleep. I hid the medicine in the sock drawer, and bought a new bottle 2 times a week. I was restless to say the least.
And then a friend made me promise to stop. Actually several did, they held me somewhat accountable towards stopping, enough to where I at least tried going without for a few nights. First night ended with no sleep, second and third nights ended with me finishing an entire season of House. And on the fourth night I prayed.... This is my exact prayer: “Lord, I am lost. My head is spinning and I can barely clear my thoughts enough to say this prayer. Give me your holly spirit, lay your hand on me, ease my mind, ease my heart, and ease my soul.” I think I fell asleep within a matter of minutes. God is tucking his child into bed every night even still.
Is this sillly? Yes... But again, in my shoes, sleeplessness is a huge issue. In my life, God’s “hand” and peace at night is living proof that he is out there taking care of all of us. The fact that I can fall asleep at night is proof for me that there is a God.
4) Opening Doors- When one door closes another one opens. That is what we are all told. I have told you how God will flex his muscles and prove himself my breaking you, but he will also flex his muscles by building you. God has given me a new “fire” for his Kingdom. I know there is a God because he has opened doors for me to do just that... At first I couldn’t make sense of what the point of all of my recent life events was. I didn’t see what God was doing in my life, but then I started to connect the dots. I realized I needed to do more. I realized I was wasting my time, I realized I was doing little to further his Kingdom. And so I started praying, “God, what is it you want to do with me? Why all of this trials and tribulations? I know you are calling me to do something Lord, I know you have plans for me, I know all of this is happening for a reason. I see you working in my life. I see where you are leading me, but I don’t see what waits for me at the end. Lord, open a door for me. Open several if you want. Open doors in my life. Lord I promise, if you open a door for me, if you guide me in a direction to further your kingdom than I will go running through that door. Lord I will give you everything I have.... Please Lord, open some doors, give me direction."
God has done just that. And I am STOKED at these opportunities. Excited, and nervous at the same time because I know the work these “doors” will require of me.
-God has introduced brand new people into my life. People that I truly believe were placed into my life for a reason. People both of faith, and people without God. Many doors have opened in the sense of fellowship and brotherhood. I have the opportunity to slowly love new friends, and bring them towards Christ.
-Another door has to do with a summer opportunity. I will be traveling to Africa this summer to work in a hospital with one of these new friends. This, in it of itself, is a miraculous opportunity to do missionary work, and to further God’s Kingdom in another country. And I get to share it with a new friend that I have been blessed with the chance of getting to know only recently. A friend who is going out of there comfort zone to travel with me and share this God given opportunity to serve.
-This is the last and coolest of all of the “doors”. God has opened doors for me to write and share my faith with the world. This blog is only one example of that. I tear up every time someone tells me they benefited from reading anything I wrote. What a blessing it is to profess my love for God to others, and to give back glory to God. But it goes even a step further, I haven’t been blogging much recently because I have started writing a book... Yes, a book... I am putting everything I have into writing this. And let me tell you, I never saw myself as the writing type. But God opened a door for me, he laid on my heart a topic that I am very passionate about. I am about 50 pages in already... I don’t know where this will go, or if it will ever even get the chance to be published. But God opened a door for me, and I am running through it.... The doors that God has opened in my life are proof enough for me that he is out there...
I’ll stop my list there.......
God is out there, and he may not be parting sea’s for you, he may not be talking through burning bushes, and he may not be sending down angels to your house. But if you listen, he will speak. If you observe, he is everywhere. If you look for the signs, he will give them to you subtly. The bible says If we seek him, he will make himself known to us. What you put in, you will get out.... Many have sought after God before you, and many have found Him. Christians everywhere swear by Him, and that is because he IS out there. Ready to have a relationship with you, ready to love you. I have no doubt of this... And I just want to close with this thought...
God is eternal, spaceless, and timeless. He has everything he needs, God needs nothing because he IS everything.... We need God, he doesn’t need us... Draw near to Him, and he will draw near to you... Believing in the unseen is hard, it takes faith. But if you ask God to show himself to you, I promise he will...
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