There’s a Bible club going on in the north end of the county called the iBelieve Club. Sixty or so kids meet once a week to have snacks, play games and most importantly, learn about Jesus. The other day as the club was starting, I heard one child loudly proclaim, “I believe in believing!” I thought that could preach.
The dictionary tells us that the term believe means to have confidence in something, to assume it’s correct, or to have faith in the honesty or reliability of your subject.
In the first sentence of the first chapter of the first book of the Bible is a small but powerful verse. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). Some choose to believe that something came from nothing. Some choose to believe that once we leave this earth there is nothing else. We can place our trust in just about anything or we can believe these few simple words,” In the beginning, God.”
Like that sweet kid, I believe in believing.
I believe in a God who was in the beginning and is here now. A God who promised to never leave me. A God who loved me before the beginning of days.
I believe that his Son reigns and brings peace, hope and joy into my broken, crazy life.
I believe his Spirit is alive and active within every disciple.
I believe in the power of the church and the good she can accomplish.
I believe that every Christian has a purpose to change this world by proclaiming the Christ.
I believe that a day is coming when every knee will bow and every tear will be wiped away.
I believe that the best way to see God is to spend your time with the least of these; the children, the sick, the hungry and hurting.
I believe that the days of evil are numbered.
And I believe that we are here for a mission much greater than ourselves and though it may seem hopeless at times, I believe that our God can make all things possible. I hope you’ll join me in this belief. Life is too hard and cruel to go through it without believing.
Find others who love God and point you toward him. Join yourselves to them and to Christ.
Regardless of how happy you are or how much life hurts right now, believe in believing but don’t just stop there. Let your belief cause you to act. Give your life to Jesus. Believing is great but following Jesus is why you’re here. Let your faith move your feet (Matthew 28:19-20).
If you have questions or thoughts about this article, feel free to contact me at harringtonseven@yahoo.com
Paula Harrington is the mother of five children and resides in Calvert City. She is compiler and editor of the books, Once Upon a Bible Class, A Common Bond and A Sunday Afternoon with the Preachers’ Wives. Her work has appeared in Christian Woman magazine, the Christian Chronicle newspaper and numerous other sites and websites. When she’s not teaching at one of Marshall County’s finest schools, she’s helping her family at the Calvert Drive-in Theater (and by helping, she means eating the cheeseburgers). She can be contacted at harringtonseven@yahoo.com