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What if God was “A Bowl of Ice Cream”?

Of all the presents I received for my eighth birthday—coloring books, fancy stationery, and toys— the children’s Bible was the best gift. I recall racing through Genesis to Jude, but staying away from Revelation because I did not like thinking about the End Times.

At the age of 12, I gave my life to Jesus. But shortly after, I was left speechless when my cousin asked me what I would do if I went to heaven and found out that God was a bowl of ice cream. “Like this one here,” he said, pointing to my dessert. “What happens then? Wouldn’t it be a waste of all your years of serving Him if He turns out to be a bowl of dessert?”

Having grown up in a Christian home, I had no idea how to answer him—it had never occurred to me to question God’s existence. While there were times when I had wondered if He answered prayers—like the time I failed my science paper and was about to get a scolding from my parents—I had always held on to my belief in God.

I mulled over my cousin’s statement for a while, then asked him what would happen if he went to heaven only to find out there was a God. “But what if there isn’t?” he insisted.

My cousin would not be the only person to ask me if I believed in the existence of an omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent God. It is not easy to wrap one’s head around the fact that God existed before time, and that He created the Heavens and the Earth (Genesis 1:1).

But when I look around me at all the living creatures and up at the night sky with its faraway galaxies and multitude of stars, everything points to a Mastermind behind creation.

Over and above that, the foundation of my belief in God is built on the resurrection of Jesus Christ. As Paul pointed out in 1 Corinthians 15:14, “And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.”

The way I see it, Jesus’ apostles would not have risked their lives to spread the gospel if His resurrection was a myth. After all, what would have been the point of telling other people about Jesus and subsequently dying for this man if He was never to be seen again? What hope would there have been in a cold body? Because Jesus had indeed risen again from the dead as He said He would, however, His disciples knew He was not an ordinary man, but the everlasting God.

Having been born 2,000 years after Christ, I was not there to witness His resurrection. But I am convinced God is real—and not just a bowl of chocolate ice cream with peanut and fairy sprinkles—when I see the conviction and obedience of fellow Christians in carrying out God’s commandment to love one another as He has loved us (John 13:34-35).

Two years ago, I volunteered at my church’s annual community day. We went to help a woman whose house had not seen a mop in two decades. For four hours, a group of us washed her windows, vacuumed her floor, and mowed her lawn. The woman could hardly believe it when she saw strangers pulling up into her driveway by the carloads, all ready to clean her home.

I’m surprised I did it too. If God was not real, I would not have climbed out of bed early on a Saturday just to help a stranger clean her house. But having the faith and knowledge that God exists, and that we are made for eternity, has helped me shift my focus from living only for myself towards living a life that leaves behind a lasting legacy (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

Knowing that God truly exists also means that I can take comfort in knowing where I’m heading after this life, and that there is a God I can run to in times of need.

The other thing is that I like a bit of real estate (I used to love watching home-makeover shows), and it’s exciting to know that heaven exists too. I can’t wait to get a glimpse of heaven, with its pearly gates and gold-paved streets as pure as transparent glass (Revelation 21:21). Bye-bye, dirty pedestrian streets littered with gum and pigeon poo; hello, polished, gleaming streets.

So, does it matter if God exists? To me, it certainly does. And hopefully, I will be able to lead a life which leaves behind an eternal legacy that will point people to my Father in Heaven (Matthew 5:16).

Photo credit: Thomas Shawk / Foter / CC BY-NC

1 reply
  1. sam mwaura
    sam mwaura says:

    I see God as whatever flavor of ice cream u want him to be … for some he’s like rocky road !!! a bunch of rules and regulations as long as were children were subject to his the stipulation of guardians and trustees until daddy puts our name on his will man!!! for some he’s like fudge Sunday we lick that flava for three hrs on the weekend and were back sinning on Monday !!! for some he’s like a triple layer cone ice cream with all the trimmings !!! just another way to hit the right brain freeze moments nuh!!! the bible says make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy without holiness no one will see the lord… se to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many (Hebrews 12:14-15) be not like Esau who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son .. afterwards you know when he wanted to inherit this blessing he was rejected … he could bring about no change of mind though he sought the blessing with tears (Hebrews 12:16-17) my son do not make light of the Lord’s discipline and do not loose heart when he rebukes u …. because the lord disciplines those he loves and punishes everyone he accepts as a son (Hebrews 12:4-6) endure hardship ad discipline … God treats u as sons … for what son is not discipled by his father … if u are not disciplined … and everyone undergoes discipline … then u are illegitimate children and not true sons.. moreover we all have human fathers who discipline us and we respect them for it!!!!!! how much more should we submit to the father of our spirits and live??? our fathers disciplined us for a little while for our own good as they thought best !!!! God disciplines us for our own good that we should share in his holiness!!! no discipline seems pleasant at the time but painful… later on however It produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it!!!! lastly this chapter of Hebrews admonishes us to strengthen our feeble arms and weak feet!!! (Hebrews 12:7-12)

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