My dog, Rocky, is crazy about hunting lizards. Recently we traveled to a place with squirrels, and he discovered a whole new obsession. He was seeing squirrels everywhere. Every leaf that shivered in a breeze was a squirrel. Every noise in the trellis over the patio was a squirrel. He made sure the yard was squirrel-free during our stay.

On a walk through the neighborhood one morning, Rocky was convinced a squirrel was hiding in a short palm tree. I was sure he was wrong as I could see into the palm and saw no squirrel. But Rocky insisted. Suddenly a squirrel started chirping loudly and flew straight up out of the tree and landed on the ground about 15 feet away. Fortunately Rocky’s leash is sturdy. I held tight, and the squirrel scampered away to a different tree, unharmed.

I have learned to trust my dog’s senses more than my own.

“Jesus said, ‘Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.’” (John‬ ‭20‬:‭29‬, ‭CSB‬‬)

The Gospel is full of the eyewitness accounts of Jesus: His ministry, His miracles, His death, and His resurrection. And yet I still want to see for myself.

Videos of implausible events are popular because everyone wants to see for themselves. But even videos are becoming less and less trustworthy with deep fakes and AI.

Without a firsthand account, all I have to rely on is faith. Do I believe those eyewitness reports? Do I believe what the Holy Spirit whispers to me deep in my heart? Do I believe all the many little ways God has shown me that He exists?

If I do, I am blessed.

Dear God,

Thank you for providing the seeds for my faith with the eyewitness reports in the Bible. And thank you for providing the water, fertilizer, and light for those seeds of faith to sprout and grow with your revealed, personal presence throughout my life and with the encouragement of other believers. Forgive my persistent doubts. Help me to weed them out, one by one, every day.