2008 Woodie Awards
God is real
Elisabeth Hogue, Production Manager
Issue date: 2/15/06 Section: Opinion
I woke up at about 2 a.m. this morning trying to catch myself from falling and realizing that I was still safe in my bed and although dazed and thoroughly confused, the comfort of my slipper socks against the sheets was outrageously revivifying. Thankfully aware once again that I was just merely sleeping, I drifted quickly back asleep.
When I woke up only a few hours later, I couldn't stop thinking about how in my dream I had fallen to my death. I have contemplated death before; wondering about the afterlife, if there is one and what it would look like if there was. I have had several friends die already, at my precious age of only 21 and so death is very clear to me. With a Christian background in high school I love to think of the peaceful afterlife of heaven, but the reality of the idea is that there is a hell too.
With my hippie naivete, I always theorized that God being so just and loving, would not leave one man to fall to such a heinous eternity. This type of "ridiculous" notion is what separates me from both the Christians and the atheists. I'm told by most Christians that God is just and therefore will inflict punishment upon those who truly do not choose Him. However, I always wondered why I was convinced and reassured to believe that He is real, while others fall short of being convinced. I choose to believe that we were created by something because in my heart I know, that will never change, but always wonder why I am so lucky to have this understanding.
The idea of this world creating itself not only seems ridiculous but completely ignorant of the intricate details of the surrounding world. Though the specific details of each religion still baffles me, I can't help but hold steadfast to the truth that God exists. We can give excuses for why people choose to hold on to something like a belief in the afterlife as if it holds a certain comfort in a world of uncertainty. There is no question that when God is more in my life, and yes this means praying to Him and such things, my world seems to fit. I'm not saying that my life is any easier when I am focused on God, it just feels like it works better and the hardships are just that much more manageable.
Tonight when I go to sleep, I not only have the comfort that when I wake from a falling dream, my toes will once again be reassured by the touch of my sheets, but also of the knowledge, that something else is holding me up besides my bed. I'm not talking about the superficiality of a false hope but simply the reality of God who, if I close my eyes tightly enough, is surrounding me. If we can believe in such crazy things to be true in this world, things that seemed impossible in the past but are now a reality just because someone dreamed it up, then the idea of God should not be that far off. I'm just not afraid to say it anymore.
When I woke up only a few hours later, I couldn't stop thinking about how in my dream I had fallen to my death. I have contemplated death before; wondering about the afterlife, if there is one and what it would look like if there was. I have had several friends die already, at my precious age of only 21 and so death is very clear to me. With a Christian background in high school I love to think of the peaceful afterlife of heaven, but the reality of the idea is that there is a hell too.
With my hippie naivete, I always theorized that God being so just and loving, would not leave one man to fall to such a heinous eternity. This type of "ridiculous" notion is what separates me from both the Christians and the atheists. I'm told by most Christians that God is just and therefore will inflict punishment upon those who truly do not choose Him. However, I always wondered why I was convinced and reassured to believe that He is real, while others fall short of being convinced. I choose to believe that we were created by something because in my heart I know, that will never change, but always wonder why I am so lucky to have this understanding.
The idea of this world creating itself not only seems ridiculous but completely ignorant of the intricate details of the surrounding world. Though the specific details of each religion still baffles me, I can't help but hold steadfast to the truth that God exists. We can give excuses for why people choose to hold on to something like a belief in the afterlife as if it holds a certain comfort in a world of uncertainty. There is no question that when God is more in my life, and yes this means praying to Him and such things, my world seems to fit. I'm not saying that my life is any easier when I am focused on God, it just feels like it works better and the hardships are just that much more manageable.
Tonight when I go to sleep, I not only have the comfort that when I wake from a falling dream, my toes will once again be reassured by the touch of my sheets, but also of the knowledge, that something else is holding me up besides my bed. I'm not talking about the superficiality of a false hope but simply the reality of God who, if I close my eyes tightly enough, is surrounding me. If we can believe in such crazy things to be true in this world, things that seemed impossible in the past but are now a reality just because someone dreamed it up, then the idea of God should not be that far off. I'm just not afraid to say it anymore.