If you’re like me, you hate it when people don’t believe what you say. There is no worse feeling than when you share an important bit of information with a friend, and he or she immediately turns to someone else to get a different opinion—to check the validity of your statement.

I hate that. Why don’t people just believe me? But then I ask, what makes me unbelievable? Maybe it’s the way I look. Do I look like a dork? A crazy person? An imbecile? Uneducated? Not confident in myself? What is it?

Or maybe it’s more than just the way I look. Maybe it’s the way I come across. The way I act. Maybe I don’t come across to people with confidence. Or maybe they just don’t know me well enough.

Maybe the question I should be asking is, when am I most believable? That’s easy. I am most believable at my job. I’m a house painter; have been for 30 years. Most of the people that call me for work are repeat customers. They know me and know that I do a good job for them. I love it most when they give me a key to get in if they are not going to be home. I love that because that tells me that they trust me.

You know that I’m a blogger; but I’m also a self-published author. It’s important for me to know, or at least to believe, that people believe me, to believe what I say in writing. But it has been especially hurtful when someone I regard as a friend has had no interest in reading one of my books. I don’t mind if they judge me after they have read some of it; but to judge me before they read one word of it is especially hurtful. It is almost like telling me that I have no business writing a book on anything, because I’m just not of that caliber; that I should prove myself first; that I should make a name for myself before I put a book out.

I think it’s most important for people to believe in an authority figure like the President or the governor or a policeman. These days people are really distrusting the police—that’s so sad. But it’s even more devastating to know that they mistrust our President. Many love the President; but sadly, far too many despise him—thanks to the media who constantly spew lies about him.

I think everyone has watched the TV show Bonanza. Out of all the characters in that show, who is the most believable? Well, it has to be Benjamin the father. He is the oldest and has proven to be the wisest. Adam, the oldest son, I think is also quite believable. He just has that look of maturity about him. But little joe and Haus, not so much.

Back to Presidents. Which President do you think has been the most believable—trustable. George Washington is a good choice. But FDR I think is a better choice. He took us through over 3 terms—12 ½ years. Everybody loved him and trusted him (Democrats and Republicans), even though we knew he was less than perfect.

You know, now that I have had a chance to think about it for a while, is it most important that people believe you, believe me? After all, most haven’t and don’t believe in Jesus as they should. I think our greatest effort should be to convince people to believe in Him. But can I convince them if they don’t first believe in me when I try to tell them about Him?

I don’t know. All I can do is try to make myself believable and present the gospel as well as I can—and let the Holy Spirit do the rest. That’s a good thought. I think the Holy Spirit will help to convince a person to believe where I can’t. He will do the work in a person regardless of my inadequacy, my clumsiness, my lack of wisdom and maturity. Thank God that we have such a helper available to us. With His help I indeed am most believable.