Into the Fire

It's amazing to me that some people can believe in alien life forms (those who haven't claimed to see and experience them) but not believe in God. This time of year children are taught to "just believe" in the "magic" of Christmas, in Santa and Mrs. Claus and their elves at the North Pole deciphering lists of naughty and nice children and reading letters from kids who desperately "need" a Wii, a horse (as did I), a puppy, a Barbie, a job for their mommy, or a daddy home for Christmas. Children believe in the supernatural. To defeat and negate that belief, it must be trained out of them. Because our supernatural God put it in them to "just believe" in Him.

Since Jesus died on the Cross and was resurrected, a few individuals over the multitudes of years since that event have seen Him. Not in cloud formations or dreams but for real. They found out in our physical realm that Jesus Christ is who He claimed to be. They realize the supernatural intercedes with the physcial realm and that there is so much more to life than our finite eyes, ears, senses, and minds can imagine.

So what is it that happens to a person who refuses to believe in the God of all Creation? Why not investigate this "book" that has survived millenia to deliver the gospel message? Why not accept that the Divine has no finite limits assessed to him by human minds? Why not conclude there can only be one Truth and that this particular account tells of our origin and our potential demise, defines the cruelty and atrocity witnessed here on earth, explains the consequences of sin from beginning to end and offers the solution? Why not realize there is always a choice to be made of what or Who to believe is telling the truth? Why not refer to the basic instincts of our souls that point to something beyond our limitations? To our innate senses of the supernatural?

Those of us who write and are willing to tag our literature with the Christian fiction label wish we could appeal to those who search for Truth, to those who've accepted denial as their reality. To those who will actually believe in the horrific element of the supernatural but refuse to accept the One who is more powerful than the evil ones who fell from God's dwelling place. But it's only up to us to tell the story. Each individual chooses for himself.

As writers, we should realize the complexities of the search, the difficulties of the conflict, the ironies of decisions, and the possibilities of our supernatural Maker. We should embrace the miraculous and proclaim the beautiful and the haunting story which will present the reality of our Lord in all His supernatural elegance and grandeur and power. It's all amazing and often beyond belief. Without the required step of faith it becomes fantasy to the unbeliever.

But once you take that miniscule faith excerpted from the deepest crevice of the human heart: God is there. You shed one moment of unbelief and ask from a place of purity of soul for Him to reveal Himself, and He delivers. One supernatural experience custom made for you. It begins with a hint of belief and graduates into a supernatural knowing. He's there. For real. His Spirit comes, takes up residence, teaches, counsels, comforts, and lives within you. So simple and yet so complex. How? Who truly can explain it? The Bible does it best – but even then there are mysteries.

Emmanuel: God with us. Thank you. God. Jesus. Holy Spirit. All one. Who can define His saving grace? But we can all know it.

This Christmas "just believe" in the One who came to save you, who knows your name, who gave you life and just so many days. Once you just believe, then you can know. It's supernatural.

Holy Spirit, woo them with the Love of Jesus. God, save them. In the Name of your Son Jesus Christ, Amen.