Reasons for God

I know that God exists. Here's why:

1. Creation - There is not just science in nature but also beauty and art. As much as I long for the snow to melt and spring to come, I recognize the perfection in God's creation. Can you imagine snow of any other color? Last winter, Ryan and I went to a beautiful place near here called Clifton Gorge. A river has cut a deep canyon in the rock. The walls of rock are vertical for about 50 feet above the water. In the midst of the deafening roar of the water, we admired icicles hanging in the rock. It was an amazing moment of experiencing God.

2. Redemption Stories - My favorite movies are redemption stories. This weekend we watched Little Miss Sunshine. Even though it is quirky and silly, nearly all of the characters individually and as a family are redeemed from their position of failure and brought to a place of love and unconditional acceptance. Our hearts resonate with redemption stories.

During the Super Bowl, there was a Budweiser commercial where a mutt was downtrodden and neglected on the streets. A by-passing car hit a puddle and splattered mud on the dog, giving the appearance of spots. The dog now resembled a Dalmatian and was given a seat of prominence on the Budweiser truck. The dog was redeemed by a mud baptism!

So also we, while we were children, were held in bondage under the elemental things of the world. But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" Therefore, you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God. Galatians 4:3-7

3. Morality - I was showing a coworker at the Gap our baby's ultrasound picture. I told her that I could even see the baby swallowing on the ultrasound screen. She said, "I don't understand why people abort babies like this." Not everyone has the same view on abortion, but nearly everyone is angry upon hearing about a child's murder reported on the news. Why is it that we all value the young life? In addition, we are angered when an employee at a non-profit agency is caught stealing money from the organization. We know that it's "wrong". The underlying sense of right and wrong that we have was put in us by God.

4. Personal experience - There was the time that I was running on the VASA trail near Traverse City, MI, and was mulling over very negative thoughts about another person. My heart was being poisoned by the growing bitterness. As I went along, I stumbled hard on a rock on the trail and nearly fell to the ground. Immediately I was overcome by an undeniable feeling that God had caused me to stumble so that I would turn my heart around from its destructive path. I had to laugh at God's way of getting my attention!

In the summer of 2004, we were considering a move to Ohio so that Ryan could work with Athletes in Action. In order for this to be realistic, we needed three things: a job for me, our house to sell, and a house to buy. God worked it out so that within three days I got a call for an interview, drove 9 hours round trip for the interview, and received a job offer. This was all before I was certified to teach in Ohio. We had been looking for a house to buy. After several trips to Ohio, we were frustrated that we couldn't find anything that we liked. Then, we received an offer on our house in Michigan. The next day, our realtor showed me a house in Ohio that was perfect. We bought it! The reason we hadn't found this house before was that it wasn't on the market until the very day we had an offer on our house in MI. God was saving it for us!

I'd love to hear your story of God revealing His existence to you. Add a comment to this post!