Saying you've heard it all before about God is like saying you've eaten before

Have you heard it all about God and don't want to hear any more? Maybe God didn't work out for you, so you've given up on him.

That's a bit like saying, "Eating? Yeah, I've done that. I don't need to eat any more."

It's easy to fool others, but it's even easier to fool ourselves. We make up our mind about something then close the book on it. We think we know all there is to know. But if we think that way about God, we're only fooling our self.

Heard it all: Is God like a bad TV show?

We singles can be pretty independent. I'll confess that I don't like anyone telling me what to do. You're probably the same way, and you might be feeling a little defensive right now, suspecting I'm going to tell you what to do about God.

No, I'll let you decide. All I ask is that you hear me out. If you're really closed-minded, you'll stop reading right now. Still with me? I'm a bit surprised, honestly, but let's go on.

Some things we can decide about, and it doesn't really matter if we make a mistake. Take a TV show, for instance. Maybe you watched it once and thought it was lousy. You swore you'd never waste another hour of your life on it again.

Even if everybody else on the planet watches that TV show, tweets about it, talks about it at work, and wears its T-shirts, will it truly matter in 10 years that you never watched that show? Nope. Life goes on.

So is God like a bad TV show? Can we decide, "Well, God disappointed me once when I really needed help, so I've had it with him. Never again."?

Will it make a difference in your life 10, 20, or 100 years from now? I believe it will, and I'll show you why.

Heard it all: Don't need any help

We're pretty tough, we singles. We get through hard times, one way or another. Some seek a little help from alcohol or drugs. Some actually make it through on their own.

We can be proud, or stupid--I'm not sure which. That happens when we turn down help when it's offered.

Benedict Groeschel, a wise old monk, said in his book Arise From Darkness,

So we all live with the illusion that everyone else is having a wonderful time. Ask others how they're doing, and they'll say "Fine." And they'll ask you, and you will say, "Fine." None of us is doing fine at all.

We don't want help from others, and we especially don't want help from God. After all, we're big boys and girls now. We don't need a daddy to take care of us.

Ha! Are you kidding? The older I get, the more I need a heavenly Father to take care of me. If nothing else, he keeps me from making all those stupid mistakes I would make on my own.

Disabled people, the really wise disabled people, recognize that occasionally they need some help from others. My Dad was disabled, and while he worked full-time and earned a good living, he relied on the Veteran's Administration to help him with the disability he received during World War II.

Here's the kicker: You and I are disabled too.

Heard it all: What if it's true?

You and I are disabled when it comes to getting to heaven. Not only do we need God's help, we are absolutely incapable of getting there through our own effort. The Bible is crystal clear. We're saved by God's grace, not our own works.

If you've given up on God, maybe you've given up on heaven, too. You just don't believe in it any more. You don't think God or heaven exist.

Ouch. You see, you're not God, and neither am I. Neither one of us created this universe, and no matter what scientists say, the Big Bang Theory is only that--a theory. It hasn't been proven, no matter how much weird math they stack up.

Me, I'm betting my immortal soul on God. The stakes are too high not to. Besides, there's some pretty solid proof that I'm betting on a sure thing.

So if you think you've heard it all before about God, I simply ask you to reconsider. We singles can be wise and humble, and reach out for the God we need, or we can be foolish and arrogant and worship ourselves.

This will matter 100 years from now.

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