Are you looking for God? 

Do you sometimes wonder if He exists?  

We at Leave a Trace realize that many people who visit our website may not know God at all and may be wondering if He even exists. We are here to tell you that it is ok to wonder! And we would love to try and help answer some of your questions. We also have many questions and by no means do we have all the answers, but we love to study and learn. Also, we do have faith and hope in God and know that if you are here, on our site, that He has led you here!

So, please do send us your questions about God, Jesus, and faith. We will do our best to answer them and maybe even post them right here for others to see; because chances are, if you have a question, many other people have the same one!

Email us at wondering@leaveatrace.net

Here are some of the questions we have already received:

Q. If you are a Christian and the Bible says that your life will be wonderful with God in it, why do you still have problems with friends, money, health, family, etc.?

This misunderstanding of what it means to be a Christian is a big one. Having faith in God and Jesus does not mean you will live a perfect care free life. There is no where in the Bible that it says you will be popular, have lots of money, or be completely healthy. In fact in the Bible Jesus himself is quoted as saying that anyone who wants to follow Him should take up his cross daily and follow (Luke 9:23, Matthew 16:24, Mark 8:34). In this statement "cross" means any severe affliction or trial and Jesus is telling his disciples that before they can have the glory of eternal life, they must live a life of sacrifice and service. Further, in John 16:33 Jesus tells us that "In this world you will have trouble (NIV)."

Q. So why, if God doesn't provide a carefree life, would you want him in your life?

Because even though this life will not be care free, followers of Jesus know that when we die, we will have an eternal life and peace in the presence of God. That is the promise and hope that we live with daily. It is the hope that helps us through daily trials and tribulations.

Q. There are many times when we have choices to make; choices about giving money, serving opportunities, times to share our faith, and so on.  How can we know when it is Jesus asking us to respond or when it is just a random opportunity that arises?

The hard part of this is that we don't ever really know if God has specifically put a situation in front of us, like he put the burning bush in front of Moses, or if it is just a situation that occurred and we need to respond in some way.

There are times that I feel very confident that what I am doing, or how I am responding is the way that God would want me to respond. These are the times that my heart aches, my mind won't settle, and I can feel God talking to me.

There are other times that I don't necessarily know that God wants me to do something.   So how do I respond in these situations?  I begin by praying.  I ask God to open my eyes to what He would have me do.  Then I think through stories I know in the Bible and ask myself how Jesus would react in a similar situation if he was here again on earth.  An example would be, if I have an extra coat at home in my closet and there is a homeless woman on the street corner shivering, I should give the woman my coat.