Amidst all the conversations and arguments about faith, there remains this simple thing we are asked to do - believe.
But believing is not always a simple thing.
Be still for a bit, consider what you believe. And who you believe.
But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”
John 20:24-25
“Seeing is believing,” as the old saying goes. We believe what we know, and we believe what we see. But does it have to be this way?
The disciple Thomas certainly thought so. Though Jesus taught for three years that one day he’d die but rise again, Thomas still wasn’t sure that the other disciples were telling the truth when they said, “We’ve seen the Lord.” Thomas needed proof.
Though Thomas gets a bad rap by teachers and preachers for his lack of trust, I believe there is a little bit of Thomas in all of us. We all have moments in our journey when we want to believe the promises of God’s goodness, mercy, and ways of working all things for the good. Yet we just can’t believe unless we SEE it ourselves.
Anyone can believe when the picture is clear and times are good. But when we believe, even when we can’t see, then we’ve begun to live by faith.
Elizabeth Evans Hagan
God, what thing are you asking me to do next, that I can't see clearly yet? Lead me on with grace and courage as I take the next step. Amen.
The saying is sure. I desire that you insist on these things,
so that those who have come
To believe in God
May be careful to devote themselves to good works; these
things are excellent and profitable to everyone.
Titus 3:8