This is a true story of something that happened just a few years
ago at USC. There was a professor of philosophy there who was a
deeply committed atheist. His primary goal for one required
class was to spend the entire semester attempting to prove that
God couldn't exist. His students were always afraid to argue with
him because of his impeccable logic. For twenty years, he had
taught this class and no one had ever had the courage to go
against him. Sure, some had argued in class at times, but no one
had ever 'really gone against him (you'll see what I mean later).
Nobody would go against him because he had a reputation. At the
end of every semester, on the last day, he would say to his class
of 300 students, "If there anyone here who still believes in
Jesus, stand up!" In twenty years, no one had ever stood up.
They knew what he was going to do next. He would say, "because
anyone who does believe in God is a fool. If God existed, he
could stop this piece of chalk from hitting the ground and
breaking. Such a simple task to prove that he is God, and yet he
can't do it." And every year, he would drop the chalk onto the
tile floor of the classroom and it would shatter into a hundred
pieces. All of the students could do nothing but stop and stare.
Most of the students were convinced that God couldn't exist.
Certainly, a number of Christians had slipped through, but for 20
years, they had been too afraid to stand up.
Well, a few years ago, there was a freshman who happened to get
enrolled in the class. He was a Christian, and had heard the
stories about this professor. He had to take the class because
it was one of the required classes for his major and he was
afraid. But for 3 months that semester, he prayed every morning
that he would have the courage to stand up no matter what the
professor said or what the class thought. Nothing they said or
did could ever shatter his faith, he hoped.
Finally the day came. The professor said, "If there is anyone
here who still believes in God, stand up!" The professor and the
class of 300 people looked at him, shocked, as he stood up at
the back of the classroom.
The professor shouted, "You FOOL!! If God existed, he could keep
this piece of chalk from breaking when it hit the ground!"
He proceeded to drop the chalk, but as he did, it slipped out of
his fingers, off his shirt cuff, onto the pleats of his pants,
down his leg,and off his shoe. As it hit the ground, it simply
rolled away, unbroken. The professor's jaw dropped as he stared
at the chalk. He looked up at the young man and then ran out of
the lecture hall. The young man who had stood up proceeded to
walk to the front of the room and share his faith in Jesus for
the next half hour. 300 students stayed and listened as he told
of God's love for them and of his power through Jesus.
"Yet to all who received HIM, to those who believed in HIS name,
HE gave the right to become children of Godchildren born not of
natural descent, not of human decision or a husband's will, but
born of GOD."
"But HE knows the way that I take. When HE has tested me, I will
come forth as gold." Job 23:10
You have one of 2 choices...
1) delete this and never look at it again
2) pass this along to your Christian and non-Christians friends
and let them have encouragement we all need every day.
