Unseen Shark

For we live by believing and not by seeing.

2 Corinthians 5:7 (NLT)

When I was younger, I had a fear. It was a fairly normal fear, in that many people had it, or still have it. It had to do with a certain sea creature that was lurking in the depths, ready to strike without warning. Depending on your own phobia (fear), you are probably imagining one thing or another that could wreak havoc on unsuspecting ocean visitors. But, you’re in the majority if you know that I’m talking about sharks. Any time I approached the ocean, I knew that there were these giant fish called Great White sharks just circling out of view, waiting for me to enter the water so they could unleash their razor-sharp teeth. So, I was very cautious entering the water, and mostly stayed on the beach, where it was safe.

Of course, my phobia was grounded not in actual events. You see, I had never seen a Great White shark. In fact, the vast majority of people have never seen one in person. Sure, they’ve seen them on television or YouTube, or some other media platform, but most people have never seen one actually swimming in the ocean. Yet, we believe. We believe the myth that they are blood-thirsty killers. We believe the myth that they stalk people, ready to pounce. Even beyond the myths, we believe they exist, even though we’ve never seen one for ourselves.

In fact, if you think about it, how much of what you know as true is because you’ve actually witnessed it yourself, versus it has been shown to you by someone else? I’m guessing that the latter statement is true for a big portion of it.

In our faith, we are called to believe, even though we’ve never seen Jesus. He went back to Heaven nearly 2,000 years ago, so we never got the chance to meet Him in person. Yet, Paul writes, “For we live by believing and not by seeing.”

This seems to be a hang up for many people in our world. If I can’t see God, how do I know He exists? Well, follow the evidence. How do you know anything exists? Germs? Bacteria? Your own heart? Your brain? You’ve most likely never seen any of these things, yet you (hopefully) believe they exist. It’s the same with Jesus. Learn about Him from eyewitness accounts found in the Bible. See evidence for Him in nature and astronomy. If you investigate, you will find out the truth – He is alive! In other words, believe, even though you can’t see.