Do You Believe?

I grew up with a dad who was an atheist. He still is actually. Growing up with no faith caused much angst for me as kid.

My mom used to say this prayer with me, maybe you’ve heard it…

“Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.”

I didn’t really understand it, but I knew what death was and that scared me. Many nights were filled with anxiety about when I would die and the idea of that being the end.

My dad would also say, “When you’re dead, you’re dead. You didn’t know anything before you got here and you won’t know anything after you leave here.”

Life seemed pointless to me. Even as a little kid I felt there had to be more, but if Dad said, “This is it,” then, I guess, this is it.

It wasn’t until I was an adult that I really gave it a lot of thought and decided to “look into this God thing.”

After reading books and beginning to read the Bible things began to come alive for me. Each day God seemed closer.

When I looked at Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection I thought there had to be something to that.

One day I asked my Dad: “Dad, I know you don’t believe in God, but what do you believe about Jesus?”

This is what he said, “Jesus was here. That is historical fact.”

I was a quite surprised. Dad was adamant about the nonexistence of God and was very vocal about it, and yet, he was saying that Jesus was here.  

I asked, “So what do you believe about Jesus?”

His reply, “Oh Jesus got off the cross and went to China.”

China?! Are you kidding me right now?

At that point I summed up all of the reading and learning and experiencing that had happened in my life.

Yes, Jesus was here. Historical fact. (Even Dad believed that!)

Yes, Jesus died on the cross. Many people testified to his death.

Yes, Jesus rose from the dead. Again, many people spoke of and testified to his resurrection.

Now I was at a crossroads. Was Dad wrong? I had believed there was no God for all of my life up until that point, and it was based on the theory that “Jesus got off the cross and went to China.”

I made the step from not believing to believing.

And then, I made the step from believing to committing.

I promised Jesus I would follow him for the rest of my days—however many God would give me to serve and grow and walk in the light of the Lord.

“This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.”  1

1 John 1:5-6

I have never regretted that decision oh so many years ago. God revealed Himself and I knew he was real and alive and inviting me.

Yes, Jesus died for us.

And…

Yes, Jesus is alive today.

May you have a wonderful and beautiful Easter!

Thanks for visiting LuSays. For books from Lucille Williams check out From Me to We and The Intimacy You Crave helping relationships thrive.