Sands of Time

Ever notice what time does to certainty? That is, that how certain you are of something negatively correlates to how long ago you saw/learned it?

My question is, why should this be the case?

Take, for instance, a miracle that happened when I was little. I was doing stupid things (as usual), while waiting for my Mom to drive me to the public swimming pool. Specifically, I was taking the bag that contained my towel and a change of clothes, and was throwing it in the air and trying to catch it. On one throw, it didn't quite go perfectly vertical, and so it ended up on top of our neighbour's garage.

This was a disaster to me, because if Mom found out about it, she'd be ticked, and I'd have to go face the neighbour. So the first thing I did was get a lawn chair, and attempt to reach it. Being 12, that didn't come close to working. So I stuck another lawn chair on top, a pail on top of that, instructed my brother to hold it still, and then grabbed a broom and tried to swipe it. I was closer, but still couldn't get closer.

At this point, I realized that all I could do could not save me. So, I prayed. As soon as I finished praying, the wind picked up, and blew the bag into the gutter, where I was able to reach it with my hand. Furthermore, we were able to put back the chairs and broom before my Mom came outside.

Now, when it first happened to me, I was certain that this was an answer to prayer. How could it be otherwise? The answer came directly after I finished praying. But as time passed, my certainty of God faded. What if the wind had been gusting, and I just didn't notice? It got to the point where I couldn't be certain that God had anything to do with the story at all.

Why is that? If I am certain of something once, why shouldn't I be certain of what my senses had told me at a later point in time? Take my grandma's hair--it's white. Am I certain of this? It's been 5 months since I've last seen her... and of course I'm certain. Why? Because it makes sense.

Imagine a brick, floating in mid-air. You walk up to it, and examine it carefully, checking for strings, magnetic devices, and so forth, until you're completely certain that the brick actually is defying the laws of gravity. Just wait even 7 days, and see if you still think the brick was actually defying the laws of gravity. Do we not have a tendency of fitting what our senses perceive to what we believe is true, as opposed to vice versa? Find me one true scientist who goes completely by observation, experiment, conclusion.

Satan does an awful good job of confusing us, doesn't he?


"Seeing is believing." (Anonymous)