People See What They Need to See

People see confirmation of their faith in some weird places. In the clouds, on a tree, in a church window. It doesn’t matter where, people will see what they need to see. But wouldn’t it be wiser to show their faith by taking care of their fellow man, rather than looking for signs? What do you think?

People of faith look to God for confirmation of that faith. Human beings need to see the proof of evidence in spite of what they believe in. It’s easy to make fun of people who see God in a potato or a piece of toast, but is it kosher? These sightings usually take place where the population is very religious, the southern United States for instance. But they are not exclusive to the south.

I once went to a place where crowds of people were worshiping a tree because supposedly the face of Christ was embedded in the bark. All I could see was some beetle eaten bark. That doesn’t mean these people didn’t see what they thought they saw. There is a saying I have heard, “Which man is really crazy, the one who hears thunder and thinks it’s the voice of God, or the one who hears the voice of God and thinks it’s only thunder?”

What is the harm in a world that is filled with hate and confusion for believers to see what they need to see? But wouldn’t it be a better world if people of faith sought ways to affirm God themselves rather than the other way around? The Quran says, “Who so saveth the life of one, it shall be as if he had saved the life of all mankind.” Jesus said, “Love one another, take care of one another.” How many churches do that?

I see huge well kept churches sitting empty while homeless people sleep on the street. I see respected members of the church living in costly homes and riding in expensive cars while poor people struggle to get food for their children’s empty bellies. I would like a good explanation of why this is so. When people exhibit this behavior they are not truly following any religion other than mouthing the words, certainly not by doing the deeds.

Madelyn Rakestraw of Iowa saw the face of Christ in a smudge on her wall. Her minister said, “Your house is blessed. God has spoken.” A man in Texas saw Mary the mother of Jesus on a receipt from Walmart. These sacred images do pop up in some strange places. But maybe Jesus looks like a hungry child you pass on the street, or a sick old man in the nursing home who has no visitors. Maybe believers should use their spare time taking care of these people as Jesus said, rather than looking for pictures in the clouds or smudges on the wall

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