Buckle up cowboys & cowgirls, this one is going to be a long one.

We all have pet peeves, those things about other people that push us closer to the edge: Foot tappers,   chronically late,   dishes in the sink,   leaving the toilet seat up,  and the list goes on and on; we all have them.   For me, an unusual one is how much we use the word ‘believe’ in the Christian vocabulary;  “I believe in God”

Definition:  Believe  –  to accept something as true, genuine, or real; the existence, or the reliability of something, although without absolute proof that one is right in doing so.

So what is the definition actually saying?   When we believe something, we are saying that something is true even as we imply that it may not be?

As Children, it’s much easier to believe in things that actually don’t exist as their life’s experiences haven’t taught them otherwise.   The Tooth Fairy,  Santa Clause, Superman, and the Easter Bunny; who didn’t believe in them as kids.  And as parents, we tricked our children into believing in these myths by leaving cookies out for Santa, colored eggs in the yard, and money in exchange for teeth under the pillow.  We taught them to accept fictitious people and creatures as something true, genuine, and even real.

Fast forward a few years and put yourself in that child’s mind, as the reality about Santa and all the others are revealed, how then do they not question their Church taught ‘belief’ in God.  All their lives, we have used the exact same kinds of words to explain who God is; all-powerful, knows everything,  created the universe.  But still, the best we can do is say ‘We Believe’

So what does my pet peeve with the word believe have to do with the Journey Suzanne and I are on right now?  It’s actually pretty simple.  I don’t just have a ‘belief’ in God, I know there is a God.  He has influenced my life for years, nudged me to do things, and provided me the ability to deal with the challenges of life.  It’s that last one that brought me to this point in my life.   I can’t imagine working through all of this minutiae without Him by my side.

So of course this begs the question: John, how do you ‘know’ there is a God? Well buck-a-roos, I’m planning that one for next Sunday.

Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Psalm 100:3