Faith in God has always been important to our family. God always had a place in our childhood home. My father was a man of Faith. My mother loved her Bible. Dad was raised Catholic. Mom was raised Protestant.

Praying, being involved in church attendance was highly valued. God was prioritized in our home. My faith in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit has continued, and grown over the years. And so, it was natural to also raise our children in the Christian faith. 

Faith is also important to my adult daughter. Recently, she and I were having a deep conversation about spiritual things. We discussed how many people we knew over the years who had left the faith. Then she proposed a question that sounded something like this: “Dad, you can’t prove there is a God. The Bible is full of some wild claims. And, what if the Bible story isn’t true? You will have lived a life built on false beliefs. Is that okay with you?” She’s very sharp. I think she was looking for how I would respond to this question.

I answered her question in two parts:

• First, To live successfully, you need a belief system. Something that explains the meaning and purpose of life. I love that we have a bible that explains identity, meaning, purpose, and mission.

• Second, so what if it is just a made-up story? I don’t believe that. But even if it’s not true, what other option exists that explains the meaning of life so well? I’ve reviewed a few. None compare. I’m confident in that.

The Jesus story is still the best story I can find. Think about it. It speaks of grace, mercy, and forgiveness. It encourages us to live in peace, rest, and joy. It provides identity, mission, and purpose. There are other stories but no better story. So I plan to live and die with the Creator of the universe and the birth of Jesus story.

Merry Christmas daughter!

My daughter smiled and responded, “Good! Because I still believe.”

Merry Christmas, dad!”