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MONDAY THOUGHT 1/5/09

God Facts (a.k.a. Faith)
 
“You cannot disprove the existence of God.”  I’ve been pondering those words since I heard them from a friend, who happens to be an atheist.  I know I do believe in God, and I see evidence of His presence (not just His existence) all around me.  However, I also think that people expect God to be a certain way that suits them (as in the Jews expecting the Christ to be a great warrior king), and, in the end, end up missing the boat.
 
What I believe about God:
 
1.    Though I doubt Him regularly (not quite on a daily schedule, but close), I have also been touched by His presence, also regularly.  I’ve learned that it is okay to be skeptical, as long as I am also honestly open. 
 
2.    He is not all that sweet, and He is never a pushover.  In fact, He’s tough, very tough.  That He created a world full of carnivores and violence can require a bit of head adjusting to comprehend.  I wonder at the juxtaposition of beautiful music and machete-wielding genocide, all made possible (or at least permitted) by this God in whom I believe.
 
3.    I get mad at God a lot, and I suspect He gets pretty PO’d at me, too.  I don’t know if it’s okay or not, but that is the way it is.
 
4.     I once thought that I couldn’t make God feel bad.  I’m no longer so sure about that.
 
5.    His purpose isn’t to make our lives all sweet and easy.  Ah, that it were.  (God, bring around the Bentley, please, and then take the rest of the day off.)
 
6.    I do not believe in God because I need to believe or because faith helps me get through difficult days.  (Alcohol, friends and a good book can all do that).  I believe because, when all is said and done, His love, presence, power and justice are all beyond denying. 
 
7.    I understand doubters (agnostics, open to possibilities), but I do not understand deniers (atheists, who have closed off further inquiry).
 
8.    There is much I do not understand.  Even when I apply hard science, there are gaps, leaps of faith.  Nonetheless, I also believe in science.
 
9.    I do know that faith is like the tide.  At least in me, it ebbs and flows, grows and recedes, but is nonetheless always present.
 
10.    Finally (because I have a need to make lists with ten items), I know that we’re not perfect and will never be, and that’s okay.  We waste a lot of our short lives trying to be and do more … often without ever asking why.  God loves us, warts and all. 
 
My point?  I believe!  Albeit imperfectly, but I believe.  — jri
 
“Stand on what is true and do not
let go. Period.”
    –    John Eldredge
           (Wild at Heart)