So, I find myself wondering - if I can't even sell baby clothes and knick-knacks dirt cheap, how on earth am I going to share my God with people who don't think He's real, or that they have need of Him? How can I convince people that my God is THE way, the truth and the life, and not just one of a myriad of viable options?
I'll tell you how - it's because my God is better.
I guess some people think I should be apologetic about that, or keep my opinions to myself. But, I'm not going to.
I have friends whose religious beliefs run the full spectrum - atheism, agnosticism, Buddhism, pantheism, spiritism, unsure-ism. You name it, I know it. And, I'm always curious (legitimately, honestly - not patronizingly) about what keeps these folks believing as they do. For some, it's about being a part of something larger. For others, it's the ritual that is comforting. For most, though, it seems to be simply a matter of convenience, or even apathy. What I find that they all seem to lack, however, is relationship.
It's what people yearn for, deep down inside - to know, and to be certain that they're truly known by, something bigger and more important than themselves.
Conveniently enough, it's also exactly what God has to offer. (It's like He understands what we need, or something!)
Lest you believe that I am yet another deluded fanatic, and following a deity who doesn't exist (or, at least, doesn't know or care that I exist), allow me to give you an example.
A few weeks ago I received a card - a note of encouragement. Among the other kind things written in lovely script on the inside, were the words, "God's provisions have already been set in motion. Stay in the path of obediance, and you will intersect with them!"
I treasured these words in my heart, pondering them all this time. They have encouraged and emboldened me. And, though they weren't directly from God's hand, they certainly were from His heart, and got passed along to me through someone who had no idea of the impact those words would have. They were exactly what I needed to hear, when I needed to hear them.
Yet, aside from mentioning them to my husband in passing conversation, I told no-one about them.
Last night, when we left the house to go to our Friday night prayer meeting, the power of those words had started to fade - ever so slightly - and I could tell anxiety was starting to creep in around the edges. After several minutes of prayer together, one of the other faithful folks in attendance (NOT the person who wrote me the note, by the way), turned and declared to Mark and to me, "Your obediance has set you on a path that will lead to divine intersections."
THAT, ladies and gentlemen, is a relationship.
THAT is a God who knows our needs, and uses willing, earthly vessels to meet them.
THAT is why my God is better.
Yes, there are coincidences and happy (general) reminders of our creator's love for us all around. I know that a beautiful sunset or a well-timed cool breeze is a love letter to each of us. But, faith in God through Jesus Christ is more than just generalities. You don't have to search out reassurances of His presence. He shows up - time, and time, and time, and time again - in tangible, measurable, verbatim ways.
But, don't just take my word for it. Get to know Him, and He'll do the same for you!
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