Real and Realistic...Really?
In a recent conversation, this idea came up: "It's not realistic to believe in miracles, in the "forbidden fruit" of the garden of Eden, in Noah's Ark, in the Red Sea crossing, in Jonah's giant fish, in a virgin birth, in a resurrection...that sort of thing just couldn't be true."
As I thought about this comment, here's what came to mind: don't we all believe in things that are not only unrealistic, but sometimes unknowable?
I believe in a national and international banking system I don't really understand. I'm trusting this system to maintain my money and make it available to me when I need to pay for food, housing, and transportation.
The individuals who run this system work behind closed doors, and it can be difficult for me to learn their names. I can never get access to them.
I believe in employers/investors who will make the right decisions when it comes to my pension or retirement funds. I'm trusting government officials to manage Social Security and Medicare. How many of these people do I really know? How many of them would ever sit down and tell any of us
--online or on TV--how and why they are making the decisions they are making about our futures?
If I use public transportation, I'm trusting mechanics and drivers I may barely know to take good care of what I'm riding in and drive properly and safely. I have no idea what type of day or night they've had before they come into work, and how that day or night has affected their thinking or their actions. If I drive a car, I'm trusting the mechanics and manufacturers to do the right thing. If they don't, it could be the end of me and the end of someone else.
What is real or realistic when it comes the belief? It's a decision we all make. What is real to me is a relationship with Heavenly Father who does things I may have a hard time imagining or understanding, but who wants to spend time with me, who wants to listen to me and talk with me, and who has my good in mind at all times.
If he works miracles into His will and into His loving care, that's OK with me.
As I thought about this comment, here's what came to mind: don't we all believe in things that are not only unrealistic, but sometimes unknowable?
I believe in a national and international banking system I don't really understand. I'm trusting this system to maintain my money and make it available to me when I need to pay for food, housing, and transportation.
The individuals who run this system work behind closed doors, and it can be difficult for me to learn their names. I can never get access to them.
I believe in employers/investors who will make the right decisions when it comes to my pension or retirement funds. I'm trusting government officials to manage Social Security and Medicare. How many of these people do I really know? How many of them would ever sit down and tell any of us
--online or on TV--how and why they are making the decisions they are making about our futures?
If I use public transportation, I'm trusting mechanics and drivers I may barely know to take good care of what I'm riding in and drive properly and safely. I have no idea what type of day or night they've had before they come into work, and how that day or night has affected their thinking or their actions. If I drive a car, I'm trusting the mechanics and manufacturers to do the right thing. If they don't, it could be the end of me and the end of someone else.
What is real or realistic when it comes the belief? It's a decision we all make. What is real to me is a relationship with Heavenly Father who does things I may have a hard time imagining or understanding, but who wants to spend time with me, who wants to listen to me and talk with me, and who has my good in mind at all times.
If he works miracles into His will and into His loving care, that's OK with me.
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