Find Proof There is a God in the Life of Betty

Are you looking for proof that there is a God? So many people are, and there are quite a few ways I could help you with your quest. Jesus had a friend kind of like you when He was on earth; his name was Thomas. You might have heard of him. Most people call him, "Doubting Thomas," but Jesus didn't. He just lovingly helped him get through it. As far as I know, Thomas is the only one who actually got to feel those holes made by the nails. Jesus did take time to say that the ones who accept Him through faith, without seeing, are even more blessed. However, that does not help you much, does it?

I think I will let my friend Betty help you with your questions about the existence of God. She has never had any degrees after her name, and, as far as I know, never written any thesis or great theological works. (There may be some writings tucked away in a drawer in her little mobile home.) As a matter of fact, she can't even discuss it with you because they buried Betty yesterday. It was a pre-planned, simple, and beautifully elegant service. It had none of the sometimes-gaudy funeral trappings we see here in the south. It was...just like Betty.

You might wonder how someone like this could prove to you that God exists. Even the name, Betty, does not sound so very important. Betty's life contains some characteristics that are not explainable any other way but the existence and actual presence of God Himself. Those who are familiar with God would spot it right away, but I will explain a little of what I mean.

Although things were not always perfect for Betty, she was renowned for doing things for others. The thing that made Betty's gestures so special is that she never wanted anyone to know she did them. Family members remember how she would do special things for the younger kids in her large family after she became established in her job. She made sure they had extra things that their parents might not be able to always provide. These same family members cheerfully took care of her around the clock for three years. Not because they had to, but because they had been recipients of Betty's love.

In my life, Betty's generosity translated into groceries on the doorstep when my husband's job was downsized. Another very dear friend brought the bags and bags of groceries to us. She had been instructed not to divulge who her partner in crime was! I finally wore her down; it was Betty.

When my old, rusty van finally gave up the ghost, I decided to walk to the store in the cold. I was walking home, and I thought I would not make it the rest of the way. Guess who was driving down the highway, stopped and took me home? Betty never said a word to anyone that she found me on the side of the road because she understood my situation. She knew that it would be very humiliating to me.

Betty had a husband one time, but he did not stick around to help with raising her only son. She did it herself, and she did a good job. She took him to church, and she showered him with love and support. He lived with her as an adult, and they had a very special relationship. When he was still a young man, he died from complications from a motorcycle accident. Her grief was palpable, yet she kept going. She had a support system that you do not know about if you have never known God. I cannot explain it to you, but it makes the difference in someone going forward with hope, or giving in to grief, loneliness, and despair.

Betty was alone, except for her loving sisters. Yet, she continued to be interested in everyone else's family. She tried to be cheerful, and she always took pains with her appearance. She carefully coordinated her fashions and accessories because she enjoyed presenting a colorful, cheerful face to the world.

She continued to care for other people and their needs, despite her own loss. If you called about her, she wanted to know about your children. She supported the youth at church in whatever they were trying to do. This caring compassion was just like Betty, and, if you do not know it, it is just like GOD!

In the years after her son's death, she struggled with health issues. At times, it was very difficult for her to breathe. She would make every effort to be at church, fulfilling her responsibilities as Sunday School Secretary. Why did she even care about it? She knew church was important because it had been ingrained in her since birth. However, it would have to be something more than that to draw her to service at church under the circumstances. Betty had met God. Although she knew His House, the Church, was filled with humanity and all their warts, it was His Family. I can still see Betty handing out devotional booklets, being sure I had one.

The most powerful proof that there is a God that you can see in Betty's life is found in the period before she died. She knew she was dying; they told her. She had several weeks of time with her family in the local Hospice facility. When I visited her, she did not want to talk about her. She wanted to know about my mother who had been sick. Betty was not resentful that my mother had received what amounted to a miracle. She was at peace with God and with her lot in life. She knew her God would not take her unless it was His Perfect Will. She knew He would never leave her to face it alone. The peace that Betty had approaching death is impossible without God. It just is.

She had one goal that she expressed that did elude her. She had wanted to go to church one more time. She wanted to sit with a friend's husband who had recently discovered God. She was so thrilled with his experience, and she wanted to go and worship with Him. What would place this desire in someone's heart at the time of her own death...if there were no God?