You Cannot Love God You Don't See

I've always been skeptical of altar calls where people are weeping and saying they've encountered God. I've had no such experiences. I believe in God intellectually, but I haven't felt this overwhelming love-flood that charismatic people describe. Does that mean my faith is shallow?

John says something radical: you cannot love God you don't see. So test your faith not by your feelings toward an invisible God, but by your love toward visible people. That's the proof. That's the measure.

So I started examining: Do I love my neighbor? The ones I can actually see? My coworker who irritates me? The homeless person on the corner? My family with their flaws?

And I realized my faith WAS shallow, but not for the reason I thought. I didn't feel warm fuzzy about God. But I also wasn't particularly loving toward humans. I was stingy with my time, judgmental, distant. So John's challenge felt fair: clean that up first. Love the visible people. Then we can talk about how well you love the invisible God.

I'm working on this. It's harder than I expected, because loving visible people requires sacrifice. But that's the test. And I'm learning through the test that love is real in me.