Blog Post One: Can you testify what you haven’t experienced?

Theological Foundation:

My theological and spiritual foundation is that God is the Creator of all things and the one true

living God. I believe God sees all, knows all, and simply IS. I feel like I’ve lived many lives, and

in this current, transformed season of my mind, I believe that it is the mysteries of God that

actually create the most depth in our relationship with Him. My thoughts are heavy, my

questions run deep, and my understanding is limited. I believe the Word is true, but I also

understand that interpretation can vary depending on the person, their background, or how

they’ve experienced life.

When your personal experience contradicts what the text seems to promise, or when you are

unable to interpret the text clearly, I believe it is okay to explore different theological

perspectives to help re-center your faith. In my life, all roads have always led back to God. Even

the ones that almost killed me.

Scenario:

There is a 30-year-old woman who has believed in God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit since

childhood. She was taught that God is all knowing, ever present, loving, understanding, and

never changing. Aside from one moment of questioning when she encountered others who

believed in their “god” just as passionately as she believed in hers and wondered, “How do we

know WE are right?” she never doubted God’s character or capability.

But things began to shift after she watched cancer slowly take her mother’s physical body. There

were so many false hopes: treatments, prayers, fasting, pleading, and begging. She watched her

mother model how to die in a way that honored Christ, even when it felt like Christ did not honor

her back. Her mother passed in 2016, while the woman was in college over ten hours away. She found out

through a phone call and had the death confirmed via FaceTime.

Time passed. She grieved. She pulled away from God, then returned to Him. And then, years

later, in 2025, her spiritual mother, also strong in Christ, was diagnosed with cancer and passed

away as well. This time, she was there in person to witness it. Her final movement was a fist,

mostly in honor of her life mantra: “Warrior in Christ.”

Both women had testified to the healing power of God. Both deeply loved God. Both lived

boldly for Him. And yet, in the woman’s view, the same God who could have healed them with

the stroke of a pinky did nothing. At least not on this side.

Common Theological Phrases Heard:

-They’re healed on the other side.

-They’re in a better place.

-God needed them more.

-One day it will all make sense.

-Trust Him, all things happen for a reason.

Maybe those things are true… I do believe they are true... They are hopeful. They are comforting.

But sometimes, trying to hold onto hope for others creates a reverse effect, especially when we

are not allowed to question these responses or wrestle with the hard parts of theology.

Despite how I feel, I have already stated I still believe God is God, and beside Him there is no

other. Because of that, I also believe God can handle the hard questions, the ones we do not

always get to ask in church or spiritual settings. I am not bashing the Church, especially not the

Black Church. Despite her flaws, she has been a vital space where I have encountered God time

and time again.

What I am saying is this: if we are not allowed to feel our real feelings or raise our real

questions, then is the God we say we serve as mighty as we claim? I do not believe asking hard

questions, even when they go against what we have always been told, means we will be

condemned by God

Alternative Theological Questions Worth Looking Into:

-If death is a test, why does it have to be so extreme?

-If death is a test, does God care less about the person He used as the example?

-Does God sometimes remove someone from this world just to impact those left behind?

-Does God favor some people over others?

-With God being infinite, could there be a multiverse?

-Does God choose not to intervene, even when He can?

-What happens when the scripture is true but life says otherwise?

-How can you serve God and not have questions?

-Is God's healing defined by our understanding of healing?

My Core Question:

Can you fully believe that God is a healer based on Scripture and the testimonies of others, even

when you have not experienced Him in that way personally?

Dr. Renita J. Weems:

"Faith is not about everything turning out okay. Faith is about being okay no matter how

things turn out."