I believe in God...that He exists, and loves me. He is my father, and yours. We all share this divine heritage. I believe that His son, Jesus Christ is my saviour in that He paid the terrible price of my sins and that through His magnificent grace, I can be saved, and in no other way, if I choose to accept and follow Him. I believe that when we treat others with kindness and respect this pleases God, and is a way we can appreciate the love God shows us. I believe the scriptures are the word of God, and that by prayerfully studying them we will be drawn closer to Him. They can help us obtain a knowledge and witness which can be gained in no other way.
I have no tangible proof I can show you or anyone else. Many would ridicule me for my beliefs. They are bold claims. They are claims that are not, and indeed can not be supported by any physical evidence. I am not trying to convince you to believe as I do because even if I wanted to, I couldn't. This knowledge comes from God alone and from no other source. But I would like to share with you my journey and invite you to begin a journey of your own if not yet taken.
I will make promises which will only resonate with those humble enough to receive them. But then, those willing to humble themselves before God are those to whom He can reveal himself in the first place. But do give serious consideration to this invitation. It can literally change your life in ways that will bring you great happiness and understanding.
My journey began when I was twelve years old. At that time in my life, I had an obsession with fly fishing. I spent much of my time fishing the lakes and streams near my home. I wanted to take my hobby to the next level by learning to tie my own flies. Fly tying was an art practiced by one of my neighbors and he helped me pick out a vice (a tool used to hold the hook firmly in place while tying the fly) which would give me many years of service.
My birthday was coming up, and I began dropping hints whenever it seemed natural to do so. And, let's be honest, my hints were, at times, painfully obvious. But this was something far to important to me to be left to mere chance, and so the hints, obvious or not, were left for anyone willing to listen right up to my birthday.
When the day finally arrived, my father came to me and told me to get in the car...that we were going to get my birthday present, and he wanted me to come along. Of course this could mean only one thing. I figured my father had received the message loud and clear I'd been telegraphing for weeks, but was unsure which fly tying vice to get. Sure, my dad never fished and probably didn't even know what a fly tying vice was. It was all adding up so I sat in the back of the car smiling with warm anticipation. I began planning which fly I would tie first. There were so many to choose from, but I quickly narrowed the field down to just a few that, based upon my experience, would work well in our area, and settled on the double renegade. Yes, there actually is an artificial fly with this name, and one I had used in the past very successfully.
When my father parked our car, we were no where near a sporting goods store, but in front of a mall. I wasn't worried. My father was probably just confused about where to purchase the vice, and I'd steer him to the right store when he realised we couldn't make our purchase there. It wasn't until we arrived at a bookstore and my father said son, the present we want to give you is in here that I realised that something had gone terribly wrong.
I remember looking up at my father as he led me deeper into the store. He literally beamed. His smile was infectious, but I was too crushed to appreciate what was happening at that time. I have, however, reflected on this experience many times since then. I loved my father very much but was confused why he would choose to disregard my my obvious pleadings for something I clearly wanted giving me instead something I hadn't even considered. We stopped in front of a long row of scriptures and my father said, "Son, you're becoming a man now, and I want you to have your own set of scriptures." He explained how important they were to him and said he hoped they would become important to me.
When I looked at the price tag on the set he had selected I was shocked. Even at twelve, I knew he couldn't really afford them. He had chosen the very finest leather bound set offered by the store. The vice I had hinted at was a mere fraction of the cost of these scriptures. I protested the cost hoping to make one last ditch effort to steer him to the more sensibly priced vice. But in the end it was no use and I remember how my father glowed as he placed the new scriptures in my hand with my name prominently embossed on the front cover, and wrapping his arms around me, he wished me a happy birthday and told me that He loved me.
I have looked back on that day a hundred times and wished I could have erased the disappointment from my face that must surely have shown through. I really did try to hide it because I knew this was very important to my father, and I loved him. This truly was a gift of great love, and I wouldn't want to spoil that for him, but at twelve, I'm sure my emotions bled through my immature attempts at hiding them.
After a quiet ride home, I went downstairs to sit in my room in the dark. The darkness of the room seemed to fit my mood. I sat there in the dark confused at what had just happened, feeling more than a little sorry for myself. As I sat there in the dark and the events of that day began to replay themselves in my mind it struck me powerfully that the scriptures were very important to my father. And if they were that important to him, because I loved him, I wanted to know why. So I committed to read them that night. Although I was not unfamiliar with the scriptures, I had never felt compelled to read them until that moment. This time was different, this time I really wanted to know what they contained and why they were important.
I started reading and the first few days were hard. The language, at first, was strange and difficult. I thought about quitting, but because of the promise I had made to myself, I forged on. Within two weeks I was no longer reading out of a sense of committment and duty, but had felt the spirit of the scriptures so powerfully that I literally couldn't wait to get home from school to continue where I'd left off. I read the scriptures cover to cover three times that year. I didn't understand everything I read and still don't. But the spirit I feel as I read God's word brings me great comfort and joy and I gain more knowledge every time I read them with an open mind and a desire to learn. As I read them, through God's spirit, my faith is confirmed and renewed.
And thus my journey of faith began. You might think that twelve is too early to form a critical opinion without being swayed by what some consider to be the illogical tenants of religion. But I testify that my experiences were real and powerful and sustaining. I know...it's that simple. It is a knowledge that only comes from God. And, if God would look down and reveal himself to someone as insignificant as me, I know He would do the same for you. But this knowledge is sacred and would likely be withheld from all but those who truly desire to know God and if found, do His will.
Are you such a person? Are you someone who is not sure about God, but would like to know? Then why not perform an experiment on the word of God, and prayerfully read it with an open mind? Why not see if God would reveal himself to you? By doing so, you will be exercising faith in God in a way which, if sincere, will allow him to reveal himself to you. It is an experience which can change your life for good and bring you into contact with the Lord through His spirit. After all, what have you got to lose, except, perhaps, your doubts and unbelief?
May the Lord keep you ever in His constant, loving care is my sincere desire.
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