How I Know God is Real

There are times in my life when I think of everything in perspective. And I think to myself, "If I wasn't a Christian, I think I would believe Christians were crazy...that believing in a God was superstitious and unrealistic." Now, I can't really ever say I've believed that, since I've grown up in a Christian home. John 3:16 was the first thing I memorized. Highlights of the week were AWANA and Sunday School. And I'm not gonna lie, those were some great childhood memories. I loved Church. Crazy? Perhaps. I know that some people probably think that. And to be honest, if I hadn't gone through it, I would probably agree with them.

So here's some things that I recently thought of to remind myself of why I believe in Jesus and to hopefully help others understand. And not only understand, but to also know how wide and long and powerful God's love is for them.

1. God shows up in the smallest of ways every day. 
To the unbeliever, these are most likely coincidences. But to me, they're Jesus having an impact on my life. Like when my favorite song comes on the radio and I feel like flying. Or when I get an A on my test I thought I was going to fail. When my dog runs up to me after a long day. When I get to sit on my bed, eat chocolate, and blog. Those are the moments when I know that God is real because I can feel His blessings. His presence. And nothing else has ever come close to competing with that.

2. He's the only one I run to. 
I've had some tough years, and easy years. I've gone through some tough changes. And there's one main thing that I've learned through that. People let you down. Always. I love my family, but they will at one time or another dissapoint. They can't fully relate to me and thus they can't fully sympathize with what I'm feeling or thinking. However, there is still hope for me so I don't feel alone. Jesus is always there to comfort me and to just listen. And I can trust that not only will He not tattle or gossip, He can fully empathize. He's been with me through everything in life. He's heard all my thoughts and observed all my actions. Nothing in me is a secret to Him. From the most amazing thing I've done that other people weren't there to see or the worst sin that I keep hidden from the world. He can fully and perfectly sympathize with me where I'm at because not only does He understand me but He made me. He's the best listener. There's just no argument there.

3. Jesus Never Changes
There's never an instance when I'm afraid of God's changing. If there's any type of high or low in my relationship with God, it's because of me. I'm a Sinner. God's Perfect. I change every day. My moods fluctuate and my thoughts wander. God is constant and unchanging. God is reliable. I've felt this in my life. I've felt the constancy and have known that there's always someone there just waiting to listen. To love.

4. I can see His work in the transformations and testimonies of others around me. 
Have you ever heard an amazing testimony? Or a phenomenal story about someone rebuilding a village in Africa or feeding the hungry? A story about a drug addict who becomes an on-fire [figuratively speaking] Christian? I have. Several times. I'm never able to reduce these stories or testimonies to the person's own strength or friend/family intervention. These occurrences are when people get to the end of their rope. And they cry out to Jesus. I've gone through similar experiences. Like I mentioned before, people will fail you. Pop Culture and materialism will fail you. Get this: Your husband/wife/boyfriend/girlfriend will fail you. But Jesus won't. Jesus can take you and transform you.

To people around me, I'm a pretty light-hearted optimistic person. I regularly have a smile on my face and try to show people the love of Jesus. I regularly fail, but I attempt, with the grace of God. But let me tell you this. That optimism or that positive face has nothing to do with my own amount of energy or strength. It's part of my personality, sure. Just like writing is one of my talents. But without God I would be shaken so much easier than with Him. With God, I can have peace and joy. And here's a big one: Patience. People used to be in awe of how I could be so patient with my siblings. They accredited this skill to myself, but seriously: It's not me. My patience regularly dwindles by the day. The only thing that can give me enough strength to go through my day and still have energy for the needs of others is Jesus Christ. It's not me. It's Him.

And so, I leave you with these thoughts. Being a Christian is neither easy or perfect. It means I'm imperfect, and thus I see a need for a Savior. A Savior who can lift me up when I'm down, that never fails, that is always there to listen, that transforms others around me and my own person. A Savior that impacts me in each and every day. My life is imperfect. I struggle each and every day. My relationship with Christ is imperfect. This is because of me. Because I'm a sinner and I struggle daily. But His grace is sufficient. He is always there.

When I waiver and when I doubt. When I get to the end of my rope and wonder, "Why do I even believe in God?" It takes me less than 3 seconds [approximately] to remind myself that I have no other choice. Now, that may sound rather pessimistic. But I'm serious. Jesus is the one who keeps me going and keeps me sane. My family, my friends, material things, even Rom-Coms [Shocking, Right] never fully satisfy me. Jamming out to my favorite song in the car with the windows down gives me happiness, yes, but the one who put it there is Jesus. The one who sustains that attitude and perspective even when life gets me down is Jesus.

This is how I know Jesus is REAL.