Do I believe God is Real?
This is Day 1 of my 40 day Lenten Blog.
Do I believe God is real? This is the question we must ask ourselves. This is the question that most matters to our lives.
St. Paul realized this. That is why he noted that if Christ was not raised from the dead (i.e. if Christ was not God), then Christians are wasting our lives believing in Him and should be pitied above all men.
If God is not real, then I waste my time and energy when I pray, or attend church, or go to confession. If God is not real, then why shouldn't I focus on me? I can sleep in on Sundays. Instead of attending Adoration on First Fridays I can have movie night with the kids. I don't have to give up anything for Lent! And if God is not real, it sure was stupid to keep my kids out of baseball because it conflicted with Wednesday night church activities.
But there is a flip side. If God is real then we are wasting our time when we focus on things other than Him. If God is real, why wouldn't I get out of bed to attend church on Sundays? If God is real, why wouldn't I want to go adore Him and worship in His presence on First Fridays? If God is real then I need to demonstrate His importance to my children by scheduling everything around Him, including sports, school, and other activities.
But more than that, if God is real, then I should be living my entire life for Him. Of course, we all need to feed our families, and we all have to clean the house, etc. Part of living for God includes taking care of all of the creation He has put us in charge of, including ourselves. But if God is real, shouldn't I spend more time with Him? If God is real, shouldn't I eliminate the idols in my life? If God is real, shouldn't I help others and give to others more sacrificially? If God is real shouldn't I stop sinning against Him? And when I do fall and sin, shouldn't I be completely broken hearted about it and beg His forgiveness? In other words, if God is real, shouldn't I always put Him and others before myself?
Jesus pointed out our gravest fault when He said, "Oh you of little faith." The Lord tells us that all things are possible through faith. All we need is the faith of a mustard seed and we can do anything. My problem is that I don't have the faith of a mustard seed. If I did, I would give everything to God. And though I want to, something in me always holds back. Though I believe God is real, I don't believe it enough to give all that I should. With faith we can move mountains. Without faith, we can't even move ourselves out of bed to go to church on Sunday mornings.
Today's prayer: Oh Lord, please help me to believe in you with all of my heart, mind, body, and soul. Give me the faith to move mountains so that I may do all things for your glory, instead of my own.
R.C. VanLandingham lives in Florida with his wife and kids. He is the author of several books including the Christian fantasy books Peter Puckett & The Amulet of Eternity, Peter Puckett & the Enchanted Chalice, and Magdalene Hope & the Elves of Evermore.