Why is belief so hard?

[Jesus] answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. -Matthew 12:39 

Dear members and friends,

Once in a while, I cannot help but ask God, “why did you make us such complex beings?” In a way, being alive is a simple matter if you consider living to be just eating, sleeping, and breathing. But I have never met a single human who is fully satisfied with such a biological definition of life. Most people seem to seek a way of life that is also emotionally and psychologically fulfilling and satisfying. However, when one seeks fulfillment and satisfaction, one soon realizes that there are a series of questions that often have no ready answers! One of those questions is, “why should I believe in God?” 

According to the Bible, the people of Israel struggled to believe in God because the God of Abram, Moses, and King David was an indescribable and unnamable Deity. With this excuse, the Israelites constantly fell into worshipping idols extolled by other people. However, when God incarnated into a human form and stood before them, they asked for a sign or proof! In other words, in order for Jesus to be believed and worshiped by the people as God incarnate, the people desired that he first prove himself to be the powerful and almighty Being. According to Gospels, Jesus vehemently rejected this foolish demand because the people were the ones who had to prove their worthiness, not Jesus. One of the truths that Swedenborg insists very strongly is that being closer to God and further, being united with God is extremely fulfilling and satisfying to us!

My friends and family-in-God, let us take a moment of silence and reflect upon what is the core problem of us believing in both the existence and presence of the Creator. Then, let us liberate our minds from all human-made theories and arguments, and thus enable our minds to enter into the ever-present reality of our Creator who is always within and around us.    

Blessings, Rev. Junchol Lee