A Challenge to the Unbelievers
by Juliana

In the beginning, you don’t even know they exist. It isn’t until those first tender leaves break through the soil that you’re aware there ever was anything besides the dark brown soil. Only a few days pass before a frail, green stem is seen lifting the leaves heavenward. It barely exists, and if it isn’t watered and taken care of, it will wilt into non-existence as quickly as it began.

Before the seedlings are a week old, you can see them lean toward the sun. The stems and leaves together, reaching with all their tender strength, move hungrily toward their source of life and light. Nobody ever told them they need the sunlight; nobody needs to. It is biologically built in. Without the sunlight, they would die. Instinct drives their search, in the same way it drives an infant to seek the comfort of it’s mother bosom.

Why is it so strange to us to consider that we have deeper, even more meaningful instincts within us that drive us to seek God? Perhaps once we are old enough to speak, dress ourselves, and carry on meaningful conversation, we feel that we’ve learned all there is to learn. A wise person senses this folly early. A fool perhaps never does.

Christ is the Light of the World. He is, literally and figuratively, the source of our light and life. I believe that our souls naturally yearn and hunger for His light, the same way a tiny seedling leans to be nearer the sunlight coming through a window. The seedling is never ashamed to acknowledge it’s dependency. Why do humans err so?

Perhaps you think I’m ridiculous. You say that I cannot prove God exists. You point your finger at me and self-righteously and proudly dare, “If there is a God, prove it!” Then you sit back and wait for me to bring you the evidence. Perhaps you’re right. But I will only accept your challenge after you accept mine:

Go to a tender seedling, only a few days old. Stand beside it and say to it, “If there is truly a sun in the sky, prove it!” And only after the seedling has the ability and power to bring you empirical truth that the sun shines above your head, only then will I accept your challenge to prove there is a God. Yes, you and I can see the sunlight. We can feel it’s warmth and see it’s rays, and the seedling does not even have eyes to see or hands to reach out to write. It seems the seedling has a great disadvantage.

Oh, human, what art thou to a God? Perhaps we have disadvantages, too.

Why can't I just enjoy this sinus infection, like everyone else?!?!
by Juliana

I hate to be a pessimist, but sometimes I want to just sit down on the floor, pout my lips, shake my fists into the air and scream, “Life isn’t fair!!!” That’s how I feel today. I’m sick, and it’s nothing like what I was hoping for.

I suppose it makes sense that most people don’t want to be sick at all, but lately I’ve been looking forward to it. This is natural since I feel overworked and underappreciated by my two-year-old. There are days when I’ve cleaned the kitchen, done three loads of laundry, and tidied up most of the house and it feels like I haven’t made any progress whatsoever. On days like that, I feel like laying down and just giving up.

I was thinking about this a while ago, and a very guilty thought passed through my mind. “If you were sick, you could lie around all day and everyone else would have to wait on YOU…” The thought brought me solace amid my hectic day-to-day life for several months. If I was having an especially difficult day, I could think, “This can’t go on forever. I’m bound to get sick sooner or later. A cold, the flu, maybe even a broken bone! Then I’ll just lie in bed sipping lemonade and reading a good book, while everybody brings me flowers and feels sorry for me.” Ahhhh what a joyous experience I had planned out.

Then it happened.

For months now, I’ve been stuffed up with allergy problems, but I’ve learned to deal with them in a fairly mature way. Yesterday, however, the mild allergies turned into a full-blown illness. A headache, sore muscles, sore throat, fatigue; it’s all there. It feels like a sinus infection with a vengeance. I tried making the most of it, but it kept getting worse and worse. Finally, today after church, I gave in.

“Honey, why don’t you go take Joseph to your parent’s house without me. I’ll just go home and rest,” I said, after finishing Sunday dinner at my mom’s house.

“Okay,” Josh replied. “Do you want me to leave you here and pick you up later?” Now this was a temptation. Mom’s house on Sunday afternoons means three important things: good food, games, and time with my family. It is an all-around “good times were had by all.” I glanced at the strawberry shortcake on the counter, and my brother pled, “Come on, stay! Then we can play a game!”

My throat was aching and my head was splitting with a headache. Painfully, I shook my head and said reluctantly, “No. I think I better just go home and rest.”

On the way home, I said to Josh, “This isn’t fair. I’ve been looking forward to getting sick so I could lie in bed and relax for a while. But now I feel too sick to enjoy it at all. I don’t want to watch TV because it’ll make my headache worse. And if I lie in bed, I’ll fall asleep and then be awake all night because of it. Even a nice, warm bath won’t make these aches and pains go away. I’M TOO SICK TO ENJOY BEING SICK!!!”

I don’t think I got much sympathy from him. That leaves one last resort. Will you pity me?