Written by: Katia Hanger

As a logical thinker and introspective person, I want to understand the most intricate and complicated aspects of life. I want truth. While I gave my life to Christ many years ago and have continued to live according to his calling, I've always yearned for facts, evidence, and repeatable proof in what the Bible leaves unanswered. For a long time, this intellectual challenge threatened my relationship with God and left my heart inwardly questioning many parts of Christianity. I was frustrated that no one could account for my questions in ways I deemed sufficient.

How could God be real when the Biblical timeline and science don't align? How could a good and loving God allow such terrible tragedies in this world? How can we reconcile the God of the Old Testament with the God of the New Testament? How can we make sense of the supernatural aspects of Christianity? What makes Christianity the right religion when people of other faiths are also fully convinced their beliefs are the ultimate truth? (And many, many more...)

Intrigued by science, philosophy, theology and psychology, my interests led me to dive into my faith more holistically—into apologetics, world religions, archaeology, eschatology, ethics...you name it. Anything I could use to either challenge or validate the claims of Christianity, I wanted more of. My battle within was of utmost importance...this journey was between life and death, heaven and hell. If I was going to believe in Christ, then I was going to be all-in. These matters have been a part of my life since I was younger, but my search became paramount in college as I sought to make my faith my own.

This journey has led me to where I am today. I've devoured numerous books, articles, podcasts, and even joined an apologetics group. I've spent many hours studying the Bible, sought counsel from trusted mentors, and asked questions to people formally educated in theology. I have much still to learn, and my knowledge is incredibly trivial when looking at the vastness of who God is, but he continues to teach me more each day.

Throughout the process of seeking truth, God has revealed himself to me and given me a renewed love for him as a result. In light of what he's done in my life, I want to share several reasons why my faith in God is stronger than it's ever been. While the list below is far from comprehensive, it includes some of the major points I've come to believe. They are brief descriptions that leave much room for additional explanation, but I hope the simplicity of these findings can encourage you.
Here is what I've personally decided through my studies:

1. Christianity is set apart from other religions.
There are many religions: Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Taoism are just a few. What sets Christianity apart? I think it must be established first that there can logically only be one true religion. As popular as post-modernistic views are becoming, truth is not relative. It cannot be. That being said, Christianity is the only religion where God becomes fully human, and where people are saved through faith solely because of his grace. Art Lindsley writes in C.S. Lewis's Case for Christ that "Either Christ is God incarnate or he is not. If he made such an outrageous claim—which he did—then he is a liar, he is a lunatic or he is Lord. The claim that God became incarnate as a man in history sets Christianity apart from all others..." Lee Strobel, famous for his conversion from atheism to Christianity, was unable to refute Christian claims as he initially set out to do. After many years of research, he has now become one of the most well-known authors of Christian apologetic books. He believes the central aspect to Christianity is the resurrection and spent years proving it. Similar to Strobel, Dr. Gary Habermas built a case for the resurrection founded on evidence that virtually all scholars—Christian or not, would agree on. While admittedly still involving unexplainable and widely debated aspects, Christianity is supported by historical evidence, and when compared to other religions, it stands out as one marked by radical love, grace, and forgiveness.

God. If God is supreme, then there will always be things we cannot fathom, know, or comprehend. Our inability to understand is exactly what makes God's existence all the more convincing. (Spoiler: It's one massive paradox).

5. Suffering is not from God.
The problem of pain is likely the biggest obstacle to faith. It's hard to believe in a good and loving God when we live in a broken world. The problem of pain and evil is linked to free-will. God is not to blame; we are. God is perfect; we are not. He gave us a choice from the beginning. Without free-will, we would merely be robots, so it is by his love we even get to choose each day how to live. Despite human sin resulting in the world we live in today, God does not delight in our suffering. In fact, it's quite the opposite. God knows this brief period of life on earth pales in comparison to an eternity in heaven with him, which he freely offers to every person. But while we must suffer, he gives us hope. In Tim Keller's book Walking with God through Pain and Suffering, he says this: "Christianity teaches that, contra fatalism, suffering is overwhelming; contra Buddhism, suffering is real; contra karma, suffering is often unfair; but contra secularism, suffering is meaningful. There is a purpose to it, and if faced rightly, it can drive us like a nail deep into the love of God and into more stability and spiritual power than you can imagine." While we must suffer here, God will create meaning, but when the time comes, we are saved from the pain of this life through Christ's selfless sacrifice.

6. Morality points to a supreme moral being.
This has been debated by countless theists, atheists, and agnostics alike, but
there is one point that I'd argue can't be denied with legitimate evidence: Objective moral values exist, and the values had to come from someone. Unless self-deceived, humans recognize that, for example, kindness is good and murder is bad. Moral intuitions and moral instincts are real. Where did they come from? Our inability to understand how a higher power could have instituted such values, once again, points to God (refer back to points 3 & 4). As author Brant Hansen points out, even famous atheist Richard Dawkins states that "whatever [defines morality], it's not the Bible." Yet this same man responded to a question about his moral standards with this, "What's to prevent us from saying Hitler wasn't right? I mean, that is a genuinely difficult question." Atheists, including the most famous one present-day, aren't consistent in their beliefs. As Hansen also pointed out, Dawkins, for a man that doesn't believe in authoritative moral expectations, "rather freely uses world like evil and good [in his writings]." Maybe moral values are difficult to comprehend. Maybe we don't fully understand them, but it's impossible to deny them.

7. Everything in the world leaves you empty; there must be more.
Life is hard. It really is. There is war, disease, and endless brokenness. Humans are suffering, lonely, and confused. Even the most successful, affluent people are not fulfilled. Humanity, in its entirety, is empty apart from God. Sure, some people get what they want—wealth or fame, a large family or dream job, but no matter what it is, it's never enough. This longing, this lack of fullness in this life, points us heavenward. Perhaps this unfulfilled longing is a sign of more, of true life still to come. C.S. Lewis puts it best when he says, "If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world." We were made for heaven. We were made to be with Christ in perfect eternity, perfect peace...whole at last. This is not our home.

8. The transformed lives of his followers.
God has changed my life. There is no scientific explanation for this point. But for as long as I've searched for validation to my faith, I've recognized God working in unimaginable, unexplainable ways. I've watched him turn pain into breathtaking beauty. I've felt his love through the people he's made his image. I've been moved to tears by the work he's doing in and around me. I've experienced such transformational moments that the only logical explanation is that they point to the transcendence of God, who he is, and what he offers with love so radical I can't comprehend. Experiencing life in its most pure and beautiful form makes it hard for me to deny the existence of God—nonetheless the good, perfect, loving God of the Bible. He has saved me.

If you're reading this and don't know where to start, why you can't move past your doubts, or just feel distant from God, let me challenge you with a verse that changed my life: Jeremiah 29:13. In it, God says, "You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all of your heart." So many of us are living as lukewarm believers, inwardly harboring doubt or disbelief. I'm convinced complacency is the foe of all Christians. The worst thing you could do is stuff your doubts and questions within and wear a façade. The great news is you have a choice each morning to do something about it. If you are moseying through life with no discipline to be in the Word, spend time in prayer, or take action to find truth, then your time to change is now. I assure you there is hope for you. You WILL find him...you just can't do it halfheartedly. Do it with everything within you. Search for him wholeheartedly.

Lastly, there's a quote I've had memorized for several years that has provided me great comfort on my spiritual journey. I will share it below. I hope it serves as a reminder that God welcomes your doubts. There is no place for shame. You are no less a Christian for seeking truth and understanding. In fact, he wants you to. He is who he says he is, and he longs for you to know him more intimately through the process.

To any question-filled believers, you aren't alone.

As for me now, I'm convinced God is real. I believe that. I've come to terms with the reality that I'm always going to have unanswered questions on this side of heaven, but the truth I'm certain of beckons me to belief in God.

If you don't yet believe, my prayer is someday you will as well. Choose to seek him today.

"The greatest tragedy in humanity is when we do not wrestle with God, when we become so apathetic that we are but a limp rag doll in the hands of a mighty lover who wishes that we

fight back; that we embrace Him and choose to find truth. Christ will seek the ends of the earth for the one sheep that has gone astray. He will fight the darkness to find His beloved, but when He holds us in His arms and we do not show any sign of life, then it is the heart of a King that is broken and all of creation will moan in the loss of another soul that was meant to dance in the courts of Heaven.

Take your doubts to Christ, let this fire grow inside you and become aware that He is wanting a heart that beats and seeks knowledge, He wants a mind that thinks and learns wisdom, and He wants a soul that cries out for help when it seems impossible to find. Because He broke down the gates of hell to rescue His bride, He is coming with a righteous fire in His soul and a joy that will wipe away every tear from your eyes; You just have to be willing and ready." - T.A. LaBerge