It isn't hard to imagine Adam or Eve, Abraham, or even Moses struggling with their faith. These people had an intimate knowledge of God that we will never have. They were able to interact with God, to walk with God, to be with God. These people KNEW God. And not in the way that we "know" Him. God was so real to him that the question of his existence wasn't a question at all.
Today, the question of God's existence is all over the place. We see it online. We see it in social networks. We see it on Billboards and on television. There are call-in shows, talk shows, radio programs, organizations all devoted to prove or disprove God's existence. You can't even escape the question within circles of faith. There are movies from Christian producers that asks and answers the question, like the movie, "God Is Not Dead." There is the story, oft shared on Facebook, about a famous philosophy professor who tries to prove that God doesn't exist because he allows a piece of chalk to fall and shatter into a million pieces. All of these forces join together to make us doubt or strengthen our resolve on a daily basis. While the question is not a new one, it has gained more influence, at least in my lifetime.
It wasn't always so.
It wasn't always so.
It wasn't always so, for me. It wasn't always so, for this generation. It wasn't always so, for humanity. Remember that at one point, His existence wasn't even a question. We might argue that humankind wasn't as sophisticated as we are; which is true. We might argue that humans were not as intelligent as we are now; which is true. We might argue that because those people knew God, it makes sense that they had faith and that is true. All that is not to say that we cannot know God. Surely, we cannot know God the way that those individuals did. It would be hard to imagine that I could ever have a knowledge of God the way Moses did; at least in this lifetime. Yet, that does not mean that I cannot have a knowledge of him. But how do I approach God in a suitable manner?
Matthew 18:1-5 says, "At that time the disciples approached Jesus and said, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said, "Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me."
How do children approach God? Based on what I have seen with my own children, I would say that they don't really question it. Children give what they are given. They are faith filled. They come into this world and trust people. They trust their "superiors." They trust those that teach them about the world. And Jesus tells us that to enter into the kingdom of heaven, we must become like children. We must become curious. We must become trusting. We must become full of wonder (wonderful?)
Why is it so difficult for adults to do that? It might be the years of selling out our character. It might be the years of discouragement that we have. It might be the responsibility we face. It might just be a natural outgrowth of learning that life is hard and experiencing it. And that is where my question stems from. Why is it so difficult for adults to do that? As children, the world is full of wonder and we accept God, an unseen entity. We can fully comprehend that God loves us and put us on earth. As we grow and leave God's side, we experience more and more of a world without God. We go so far down the road away from God. We see suffering, pain, disease, murder, slavery, hunger; we see no God. We experience lies, harshness, brutality, lack of Character; we see no God. And after going so far down the road away from Him, we look, don't see him and all of a sudden, the question comes back. Does God exist? It is interesting to me that when we see what life is like when God isn't around, we begin to question his existence.
I don't mean to set up a false dichotomy here, I am merely passing along what I have experienced in my life. This is what my life was. When I lived in a world that was God filled, I believed; I had faith. When I lived in a world that was God-less; I questioned, my faith was lacking. And yet, despite the brutality. Despite, the death. Despite, the murder and the hunger and the lack of character. Despite all of that stuff, if you really look, you can find God there. All it needs is a spark and that spirit comes back. Because at it's heart, faith is a simple thing. It does not need intellect (though it can use intellect). It does not need fancy ceremonies. It does not need books, or teachers, or trinkets. Like children, faith is a simple matter. All it takes is looking at the wonderful world we have instead of the harsh one. It takes being willing to give us your ego to something greater than ourselved. Have a God blessed day.
Today, the question of God's existence is all over the place. We see it online. We see it in social networks. We see it on Billboards and on television. There are call-in shows, talk shows, radio programs, organizations all devoted to prove or disprove God's existence. You can't even escape the question within circles of faith. There are movies from Christian producers that asks and answers the question, like the movie, "God Is Not Dead." There is the story, oft shared on Facebook, about a famous philosophy professor who tries to prove that God doesn't exist because he allows a piece of chalk to fall and shatter into a million pieces. All of these forces join together to make us doubt or strengthen our resolve on a daily basis. While the question is not a new one, it has gained more influence, at least in my lifetime.
It wasn't always so.
It wasn't always so.
It wasn't always so, for me. It wasn't always so, for this generation. It wasn't always so, for humanity. Remember that at one point, His existence wasn't even a question. We might argue that humankind wasn't as sophisticated as we are; which is true. We might argue that humans were not as intelligent as we are now; which is true. We might argue that because those people knew God, it makes sense that they had faith and that is true. All that is not to say that we cannot know God. Surely, we cannot know God the way that those individuals did. It would be hard to imagine that I could ever have a knowledge of God the way Moses did; at least in this lifetime. Yet, that does not mean that I cannot have a knowledge of him. But how do I approach God in a suitable manner?
Matthew 18:1-5 says, "At that time the disciples approached Jesus and said, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said, "Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me."
How do children approach God? Based on what I have seen with my own children, I would say that they don't really question it. Children give what they are given. They are faith filled. They come into this world and trust people. They trust their "superiors." They trust those that teach them about the world. And Jesus tells us that to enter into the kingdom of heaven, we must become like children. We must become curious. We must become trusting. We must become full of wonder (wonderful?)
Why is it so difficult for adults to do that? It might be the years of selling out our character. It might be the years of discouragement that we have. It might be the responsibility we face. It might just be a natural outgrowth of learning that life is hard and experiencing it. And that is where my question stems from. Why is it so difficult for adults to do that? As children, the world is full of wonder and we accept God, an unseen entity. We can fully comprehend that God loves us and put us on earth. As we grow and leave God's side, we experience more and more of a world without God. We go so far down the road away from God. We see suffering, pain, disease, murder, slavery, hunger; we see no God. We experience lies, harshness, brutality, lack of Character; we see no God. And after going so far down the road away from Him, we look, don't see him and all of a sudden, the question comes back. Does God exist? It is interesting to me that when we see what life is like when God isn't around, we begin to question his existence.
I don't mean to set up a false dichotomy here, I am merely passing along what I have experienced in my life. This is what my life was. When I lived in a world that was God filled, I believed; I had faith. When I lived in a world that was God-less; I questioned, my faith was lacking. And yet, despite the brutality. Despite, the death. Despite, the murder and the hunger and the lack of character. Despite all of that stuff, if you really look, you can find God there. All it needs is a spark and that spirit comes back. Because at it's heart, faith is a simple thing. It does not need intellect (though it can use intellect). It does not need fancy ceremonies. It does not need books, or teachers, or trinkets. Like children, faith is a simple matter. All it takes is looking at the wonderful world we have instead of the harsh one. It takes being willing to give us your ego to something greater than ourselved. Have a God blessed day.