Last night, at our church, we handed out candy to the neighborhood kids that were trick-or-treating. For those of you who know the neighborhood I live in: I was surprised that any parent would allow their children to trick-or-treat moving into the late hours. As I sat with my wife handing out candy, only one thought consumed my mind. I absolutely love my wife. I would die for her in any given moment. I am the most blessed man on the face of the planet.

As I sat, admiring her beauty and the way that she was with the children coming by, I thought about what it was that caused me to love her and what others thought of our relationship. Honestly, other than answering, “God did it!” I’m not sure I know exactly why I love her. I know that the first attribute that drew me in was her smile, and then her eyes. We have similar interests and life philosophies. These things do not answer as to why I love her so much. Some might try and attribute this love-choice to some sort of chemical reaction in the brain, but if this were the case I would “love” everything that drew in my attention physically and I am pretty sure that I don’t. My wife makes me a better person, keeps me in check as I am relating to others and teaches me about sharing my emotion (which I am not good at because I am a guy). It is difficult for my mind to understand why I love this person the way that I do. I have tried to understand it, but rationally, it makes no sense. I just know that it is right, and I know that my wife is the only woman I ever want to be with. She makes me happy and seeing the world through her eyes helps me to understand more aspects of the world (particularly as it relates to emotion and feeling).

What do others think of our relationship? I do not know. My mother claims credit for us being together. I think she likes my being married to my wife. What others think of our relationship largely depends on what people think of us as individuals. Have they met us? Have they heard about us? What have they heard about us? Can they prove our existence without ever seeing us?

Then, as my mind often does, thought about the way in which we, as Christians, relate to God. What do others make of that relationship? For those of us that have met God and do have a relationship with Him, we know beyond any doubt that God is real. He has revealed Himself to us! Why do we love God? Is it because He first loved us? Reasonably speaking, at first a relationship with God might seem unreasonable (though less unreasonable than spending life apart from Him). When we see the world through God’s eyes, we are able to learn so much more about its wonders and are able to be more open minded because we are not bound by our own presuppositions. It is difficult for me to understand the love that I have for God (let alone the love that God has for me, wow!).

What about how others perceive our relationships with God? People will see our relationship with God according to what they think of both us and God. If they have already decided that God doesn’t exist, then this relationship is impossible, according to them. If they see us as evil people, then a relationship with God is an evil thing and therefore, God is not God, or He doesn’t exist at all. The reason, I think, that most people reject God’s existence is because they don’t like the idea that someone else might actually set a moral standard.

Here is the reality (and therefore challenge for the atheist community), with so many people claiming to relate to God, it is an avenue that must be explored and it must be explored critically; critically on both the believing and unbelieving end. Just as no one person reading this can prove that I exist (whether that be scientifically or unscientifically) without seeing me (whether in actuality or by my revelation to them), no one can prove God without seeing Him (whether in actuality or by His revelation to them). You have heard about Him. You have heard the great number of people that claim to relate to Him. That is evidential testimony and would hold up in court; first hand experience that is shared by so many people. Saying still that he doesn’t exist is like your ability to look at a painting that I have produced and saying, “I don’t believe the painter ever existed.” The painting does not prove my existence. I do.

God doesn’t desire for us to discover Him through some sort of scientific means. God desires to reveal Himself to us and will if we genuinely seek Him. Though, if some continue to be right according to humanities own manner of speaking and regard only what they can discover on their own as truth, I am not convinced that God will reveal Himself to them. What is it that Christ said while He was on Earth? “I came not to call the righteous, but the sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:32, Matthew 9:13). We must approach God in humility, not assuming that we alone have sufficient knowledge to either prove or disprove His existence. To God alone belongs the power of revelation to all and salvation for all. It is possible to understand the world more than just scientifically. We must be willing to step out of this box that we have built around ourselves.