Don't see -- believe!

Kids are good at believing in things they can't see. You pretend there's a giant bear who's your friend and keeps you safe, and you play with him. You just KNOW there's a ghost in your closet, even when your parents say, "There's no such thing as ghosts."

Jesus' friends could learn a lot from kids. They weren't very good at believing in what they couldn't see. In this week's Gospel (John 20:19-31), one of them wouldn't even believe Jesus was alive again until he saw for himself!

After Jesus died, the Apostles hid in a locked room, afraid that they'd be hurt, too. But suddenly, Jesus appeared! "Peace be with you," He said; "I give you the Holy Spirit." And He gave them the power to forgive people's sins. Thomas wasn't there and didn't believe the others saw Jesus. But Jesus came again and told Thomas, "Touch the cuts in my hands and side, where I was hurt -- and believe in me." Thomas knelt down, ashamed, and said, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus answered, "You believe in me because you saw me. God bless people who haven't seen me but believe anyway."

There's lots of things people believe in that they can't see. You can't see air, but you know it's there because you breathe it and you see the wind make the trees move. You can't see gravity, but you know it's there because when you jump up, you always come down!

For some people, though, it's hard to believe in God when they can't see God. In the Gospel story, Jesus had died, and His friends were sad and scared. He promised He'd come back to life, but they didn't believe Him until He popped up in front of them!

There are some things we can't see that we just have to trust are real. We can't see God, but we know God's taking care of us. That was the lesson Thomas learned: that just because Jesus wasn't always standing in front of him didn't mean Jesus wasn't watching from heaven.

Maybe there isn't really a ghost in your closet or a bear protecting you, but there is a God who always loves you!

PRAYER FOR THE WEEK: Jesus, help me remember that some things I can't see are real -- especially you! Amen.

(04-16-98) [[In-content Ad]]