Is God real...?

One day a buisinessman was sitting in the local barber shop getting his hair cut. He and the barber chatted away about weather, life, love and the economy. Soon however the conversation turned to God and religion.
"There is no way that God can exist!" The barber argued. "If God was real, than tell me, how could any God could allow things to happen to good people." He paused before continuing.
"Why would a God allow little innocent children to be in hospitals dieing of cancer, or families to be starving all across the world, or being blown up in their homes during war! Their is no way a caring and loving God can exist!"
"But He does!" The man said.
"You can't prove that he is there" The barber persisted.
The man wasn't sure how he could explain to this man that God was there, and that He did care for his children. He felt trapped, yet wishing he could help this man to see the truth.
After attempting to expain things yet again to the barber, and seeing that it was futile to argue further, he paid the man and left, feling more discouraged than ever as he stepped out into the warm morning air.
"All things point to a creator" The man thought to himself as he looked up into the clear blue sky and trees blowing freely in the morning air. "If only their was a way to help him to see the truth"
The man thought, then offered a silent prayer.
"Lord," He prayed. "Help him to understand you are real and that you truly are a loving God who cares for the needs of His chilren"
After walking a ways down the sidewalks just outside the barber shop crowded with buisiness men and women too busy to notice him or anyone else, he spotted a hobo standing off to the side just watching the hustling and bustling rush of morning.
He was older gentleman dressed in ragged clothes, his brown hair hung long and dirty against his clothing.
The man stopped and watched the hobo for a moment while time seemed to stand still. Suddenly it became clear to him.
Here was this hobo, dirty and ragged, and hair uncut. Yet right over their not more than 10 yards away was the barber shop where the man had just has the discussion with the barber about whether or not God existed. And then right next door to the barber shop was a men clothing store.
It all became clear, here was a man standing there dirty and unkept, if only he would step into the barber shop, he could get his hair and beard shaved and cleaned, then he could go over to the mens clothing store and get a new set of clean fresh set of a shirt and some pants.
He then could step back outside to the street and be a new man, no longer a dirty scruffy man looking like a hobo or an unkept bum.
"That," the man said outloud. "Is just like God,"
"When a sinner comes to Jesus, dirty and rotten in his own filthy sins, Jesus can take him into himself and make his soul clean again and wash him white as snow, and he will become one of Gods own children."
"All you have to do is come unto him."
It was at that moment the man knew what he had to do.
Suddenly the man turned back and hurried the short distance back to the barber. Upon entering, the man found the barber busily standing over a customer, his scissors making a neat clean cut, hair falling to the floor, leaving a fresh new hair cut.
The barber turned opon his entering and noticed it was the same man whom he had talked to only a short while ago.
"Barbers do not exist." The man said with a smile.
Before the barber could say anything in return, the man began. "You say there is no God, you say there can't be a loving caring God while men,women and children suffer and die every day in the world."
The barber stopped and nodded. "That is what i said yes, and thats what i believe, because you can't prove to me God cares."
"Barbers can't exist," the man continued.
The man gently took the barbers arm and led him over to the store front windows looking out across the street.
"You see that old man standing there? The one with dirty long hair, unkept and uncut," The man pointed out.
"What of him," The barber asked. "He's just another old bum"
"Exactly!" The man explained "He is just another old bum isn't he? Dirty and ragged, his hair long and uncut."
The barber only nodded.
"That man,that old hobo, is just like everyone else, dirty and living in their sins. If that old hobo would only come in here to you, you could give him a good haircut. You could wash that old messy, matted dirty mess of hair, You could shave his beard and he would look like a new man.
His hair would then look and be clean and kept.
"Now, i still say that barbers don't exist, if they did than that man wouldn't be standin out there with his hair hanging long and dirty and his beard uncut and a tangled mess"
The barber thought about this for a minute.
"If that man would come in here to your barber shop, not 10 yards from where he stands, than you could clean him up and help him become new."
"Now if that man can come to you and get all clean and new, doesn't that seem that sinners too could come to a loving, caring God and He could make them new again and wash their sins away. All they have to do is make that choice to come unto Him."
The barber then saw that all men have a choice to make. All men have to do is to make the choice to come unto him and become one of his children. If they don't come to Him how could they become clean?
If they come, Jesus will wash them clean and new.
"I think I understand now" the barber said. "He really is there isn't He? Waiting for us to come to Him. God is real......

Happy Trails,

HorseLover<><