Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?" -John 11:25-26
So Jesus approaches you with that and you'd tell him no. You'd tell him no for whatever your reason is. Whether that reason be how preposterous the idea of "God" is to you or because you feel you "can't conform to societal ideas". Whatever you reason is, you choose to say no. You choose not to believe in Him and all that He is. You choose a life without constant reassurance that everything will be okay. You choose a life without someone there to go to 24 hours a day. You choose to live a life that ends, both physically and spiritually. You choose no.
Jesus approaches me with that and I say yes. I say yes because I choose to believe in something so amazing that it can't even be described in words. I choose a life that will never lose it's meaning no matter what happens in it. I choose a reassuring, wonderful, and bountiful life full of blessings. I choose a life that is constant and never ending. It never ends for me. That wonderful life I get to live now, continues on for me, forever and ever. And this happens for me because of one small choice I make. I choose yes.
Now none of this is to say that your life won't be full of wonderful days, memories, opportunities, etc. Because I'm more than sure it will! However, the difference between my life and yours is actually quite simple. The difference is no matter how tough it gets, no matter how many unfortunate situations and stupid people come along, I'm guaranteed all of that. And all of those wonderful things that happen in life never stop happening for me...ever. I will be able to look back on my life here and think about how awesome it was and the best part is, I get to look forward to an even better life coming my way in Heaven. All because I chose that.
What's amazing to me is how easy that choice is. And the thing is, I'm the type of person that can't choose between a cheeseburger or chicken tenders when you ask me. I'll sit and contemplate it for ten minutes just trying to list the pros and cons of each meal in my head and think about which one I haven't had most recently. And yet, I still end up letting my friends choose which one sounds better and that's the one I end up getting. But, with this choice...it's so easy. It's so stinkin' incredibly easy. Choosing whether to live a life through God or not, is like choosing between getting both the cheeseburger and the chicken tenders versus getting neither and then eating your napkin. You're eating something just like everyone else, but you're choosing to eat a napkin. You're choosing a napkin over two meals that will more than fill you up. Instead of being so full you explode, you're still going to feel really empty. And that's what God does. God makes you full. God makes you so full of life, love, assurance, and so many other wonderful things that you're overflowing (kinda like how you'd be overflowing out of those jeans if you ate both those meals). Now for me, that choice is very simple. I'd rather be full for the rest of my life than empty.
I understand that you think it's super crazy right? It's super crazy that there is an almighty power above, who created the universe and everything in it, that hands out undying love, forgiveness, and eternal life at the cost of you answering yes when he asks if you believe. That's nuts, right? You're right! You're right to think that's completely nuts because it totally is! But that my friends, this is what makes it so amazingly beautiful. That concept is no more nuts than believing that some kind of explosion happened to create a universe and somehow now here we all are with waterproof cell phones and a cure for almost every disease. You're gonna tell me it's easier to believe in that than it is to believe in a man made created universe? Pshhh okay...wrong. Just like the difference between our lives, there's a difference between the stories we believe about our lives. They're both out of the realm of our individual understanding and they both seem crazy. However, the story I believe is beautiful. It's amazing and selfless. It gives people hope, comfort, and a place to feel safe. Yours is just a theory. It's very scientific and confusing for people. It gives people nothing more than an idea to play off of. You don't get anything from yours. But I get a whole new life with mine. I get to be a part of something bigger than all of us.
Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?" -John 11:25-26
I choose yes. You chose to say no. But, the awesome thing about this whole deal is, you can always change your answer. Choose the life that always keeps you full; full of love and joy. Choose the life that shows you miracles, blessings, and wonderful things you never notice until God shines his light on them. Choose to have a friend there 24 hours of the day who is just dying to hear about your hard times so that he can send you help. Choose to be rescued and loved. Choose a life that never ends and just gets better with time. Choose yes.
