Melanie asked if she could talk with me about faith in God. Or her lack of faith. More precisely, her former faith.
I agreed.
At dinner in a large cafeteria, we sat together. Six other college students gathered around to listen in.
Melanie recounted how she’d been raised in the church and had once been a strong believer, but had fallen away due to being unconvinced of God’s existence.
“And now?” I asked.
Agnostic. She just doesn’t know. She thinks there may be a God but she wishes for more tangible, convincing evidence.
And wouldn’t it make sense, she went on, for God to provide such evidence to everyone? After all, there’s a lot at stake here: eternity is in the balance.
I replied that there is, in fact, quite a bit of evidence for God’s existence and his self-disclosure in Christ.
Melanie objected that such evidence is still not enough for her.
“How much evidence is enough?” I asked.
“Enough to convince me,” she said firmly.
Then she went on to say that it’s not her fault that she doesn’t believe. She can’t make herself believe. God would need to make himself totally obvious. Irrefutably so.
I suggested that it may be presumptuous for the creature (her) to make such demands of the Creator, and that perhaps she should adjust her expectations of God.
She took this as an offense, a knock on her sincerity.
Note to self: Motive check. Don’t try to win an argument or fall in love with your own rhetoric. Need to listen to God’s Spirit. And think of what you’re modeling to other students listening in.
* * *
In my next post: Melanie and I get down to brass tacks.
You had good dialogue with Melanie Rick. We are all given a choice to accept or reject God. If she has attended church in the past and hangs out with other Christian friends, then she has an awareness of God. Through Scripture she’s aware of His creation and order of life. It didn’t just happen. She knows there is a Heaven and a life after death with our Creator. (Maybe she doubts this). She should listen for God’s loving hand to touch her; to reveal Himself to her. She should pray for this to happen. Let her heart be available to God. If she does, she will sense His presence in her life and will be able to communicate with Him through pray. God will handle the rest.
Good points, Mike. I’m not in touch with her currently, but have entrusted her to the care of her Christian friends and the Lord. She’s a fine person and I enjoyed our conversation a lot.