I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist

Kathy and I just returned from a trip West to visit good friends and hike the Rocky Mountains, which has become an annual event for us now.

Each time, we visit new locations and tackle varying degrees of difficult trails, and this year we didn't even start out with an easy one. Over 600m elevation ending in a torrential downpour, which made for a treacherous descent, was our first trek of the trip.

It was exhausting and exhilarating!

On our last day, we took a shuttle to visit Moraine Lake near Lake Louise. None of us had been there before but began the hike with great anticipation.

As we crested the horizon we gazed out on the most beautiful vista which included the "Ten Peaks" (which you see on the Canadian $20 bill) surrounding the most amazing emerald water. (And that's after visiting Emerald Lake a few hours before).

Almost in unison, we all looked out and gasped.

It was breathtaking! And not in the Seinfeld "Isn't she breathtaking" way :)

All I could do was be amazed that such beauty, hidden in seclusion, was ours for the taking in.

And I also couldn't help but marvel at God's masterpiece, set before us, to enjoy.

And there you have it. I just don't have enough faith to be an atheist. I just can't believe that something came from nothing (especially something this spectacular) or that some explosion brought this kind of order.

That would take even more faith in my book.

But maybe you're not there. Maybe you struggle to believe God is real, or at least personal. (I was talking with Him this morning, so I know He is) but I get it.

But I also believe that each of us, if we're really honest with ourselves, will admit that there is a God...a Creator.

It's in you and it's in me.

Romans 2:15 says, "They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.

God's moral code is written on our hearts so we have a sense of right & wrong, even if we don't believe in God. This alone, is another argument for the existence of God. A moral code requires a moral law giver. Otherwise we are just making it up as we go along.

This isn't to say that we don't violate God's law or moral code...we do...that's obvious. But we usually know when we have.

So hiking in the mountains just reminds me that God is here, and though He is so much bigger than me, He is also personal and created so much beauty for me and you.

Sure, there's a lot of ugliness in the world, I won't argue with you there. Just watch the news for 5 minutes...in fact most news outlets focus on what's wrong and ugly in the world; which for some reason seems to keep people's attention longer.

But that doesn't take away the beauty that is all around us. And you don't have to hike up a mountain to see it.

God's beauty is all around you. From the complexity of how your body is made and works to the simple smile of a child (or grandchild). It's in the flowers you grow, the things you build, and it's the person you sit across from over coffee.

So take a lesson from my grandson Arthur, who doesn't pass a flower without stopping to smell it.

Take the time. Look around. There is beauty all around you if you stop and pause long enough, to take it all in.

Until next time - Dan