John 20:28-29
Thomas said, "My Master! My God!" Jesus said, "So, you believe because you've seen with your own eyes. Even better blessings are in store for those who believe without seeing."
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
Timothy loves to look at the moon. Ever since he first learned to say the word “moon” and realized that the yellow orb in his storybooks was the same moon we see in the sky, he has been mesmerized. He loves to go outside in “the dawk”, as he calls it, and look for the moon. On clear nights when the moon is readily visible, he will point and squeal, “There it is!” But on cloudy nights – or the days of the month when the moon rises during daylight hours – he has a hard time accepting that the moon is truly there. For a long time, he believed only because he had seen with his own eyes. As he grows and becomes able to understand more high-level concepts, he is learning to accept that the moon is still there, even when we cannot see it.
I believe that of the greatest milestones in our growth as a Christian is when we fully begin to accept God in the form of His only Son, Jesus, and to believe in all that He can accomplish in and through us, purely on faith. Certainly none of us has ever physically seen Jesus in human form. We weren’t here for His birth, death, or resurrection. But as surely as we know the moon is still in the sky, we should know that Jesus is real.
This is a hard concept for so many. How can we be so sure that Jesus exists if we’ve never seen Him? How can we be certain that He will usher us into His presence in Heaven someday? How can we know that He is working on our behalf? All of these questions can be difficult to answer, unless we are growing in our own relationship with Jesus on a daily basis.
I can tell you from firsthand experience that these questions are easier for me to answer today than they were yesterday – and next week the answers will come even more quickly. As I allow God to work in my life each and every day… as I open my eyes and ears to the countless ways He is orchestrating every breath I take and all of the circumstances that make up my existence… my “proof” is strengthened as my faith increases.
I can cite example after example where I know for a fact that God had His hand on me and a specific situation. I can say with certainty that the only way things could have happened as they did is because God was in control. I can give skeptics dozens of instances where there is no question that God did what mere man could not… fixed things I could never fix on my own… opened doors… healed and restored… and blessed abundantly!
I like to think that I am living proof that God exists… because He has brought me to this place in my life despite everything I have done to try and screw it up! And if you don’t believe MY testimony, I have Christian brothers and sisters who will be happy to share their own. I’ve seen God do some incredible things… yet I have never physically seen Him in the flesh. And I like what Jesus said in this passage…even better blessings are in store for those who believe without seeing! That sounds pretty good to me!
What about you? Do you believe? Have you “seen” the evidence of Jesus Christ in and around your own life? Are you paying attention… watching and listening for Him? Are you reaping the blessings of believing without seeing? Isn’t it time you did?
©2011 Debbie Robus
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