See With Their Ears

     A year ago, my husband and I had our first experience with intense weather. A very small tornado ripped through our yard, taking three of six Bradford pear trees that lined our yard yet sparing our house and car. Many areas surrounding our town had damage that was much more extensive while some homes had only one or two branches down. 

     In the days that followed, everyone had an eye-witness story about the tornado, no matter where they were when it hit. If you did not witness the tornado, you were an outsider and not convinced it was as bad as reported. When my husband and I told the story to some relatives who do not live nearby, their response was: "Are you sure it was a tornado?" 

     We love to witness things. The phrase, "I'll believe it when I see it," is all too common. Christians and non-Christians alike often desire to see with their own eyes the miracles of Jesus, meaning that His word is not enough for them. The problem with this thinking is that even if we do witness things, sometimes we still do not believe in the validity of the event. If your favorite baseball team lost to a despised rival and you were there, you still might not believe the other team is better. 

     You and I can't make others believe in Jesus. We can only report what we know to be true about Him. The hearts of non-Christians are out of our control. Does our story sound crazy? Absolutely! Would it help to see some evidence? Maybe and maybe not. Without the power of the Holy Spirit, I couldn't believe in a resurrected Savior. We are only called to testify, not prove. 

 

                                                                                                                         Emily Jennings