By Katy Mariotti
The Gift of Faith
You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.
“Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
John 20:24-29 English Standard Version
I’ve seen a trend online where people take pictures of their dog before and after being told they’re a good dog. The first picture is the dog in a neutral pose, and in the second, the dog usually has its mouth open in a “smile,” its tongue hanging out and its eyes bright. Happy dogs! I decided to try this with my dog recently. I took a starting picture of him which was neutral like the ones I’ve seen online. But after I told him he was a good boy, this is the face he gave me. He didn’t look happy at all! In fact, his face looks more like, “Have I done something wrong? Are you sure I’m a good boy?”
When I saw his response, I thought about how often I have this same response. I hear something that should be good news for me, and my first thought is “are you sure?” As the tale in John describes, I think we all have a little bit of the doubting Thomas in us. We want proof. We want to know, not just believe. And yet Jesus says, “blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” And that’s what we’re expected to do: believe what we have not seen. Trust in God’s promises. Have faith.
Though that can be difficult to do, the good news is that faith is a gift from God. Ephesians says:
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.”
Ephesians 2:8 ESV
Faith is not of our own doing. What a relief! I pray today that you and I can recognize the gift of faith in our lives today and trust God’s promises!
Copyright Family of Christ Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado
