What Faith Looks Like

Last night, I led my class through the classic arguments that Christians have used to demonstrate God's existence. Then I said that the most powerful argument for God's existence is a life that bears the image of Jesus Christ.

After I got home, I heard the shocking story of Laura VanRyn (pictured above) and Whitney Cerak. Both college students were in a car accident a month ago, which apparently killed Whitney and left Laura in a coma. Over the weekend, "Laura" came out of the coma insisting that she was Whitney. It turned out that the coroner (and Whitney's family) had misidentified Laura's body. It was actually Whitney who survived and Laura who had been killed.

If you want to know what real faith looks like, go to the blog that the VanRyn family began after the accident to update friends and family on Laura's condition. The faith of the family shines through, despite their shredded hearts and the shock of discovering the misidentification. Their faith is not an opiate they suddenly grabbed in pain and desperation. It's a long-standing trust, developed and nurtured over years of good times and bad. Now, facing the worst trial imaginable, their faith is solid, because it's rooted in the reality of the God who sustains them.

We are fervently praying for the VanRyn family. Nothing can ever compensate for the loss of their wonderful, beautiful daughter. But their faith has touched me deeply and caused me to fall even more deeply in love with my Lord.