I believe God exists because I am here, thinking about this and writing this.
My brain is thinking these thoughts and my fingers are typing them and you are now reading the words that were in my brain on your computer screen. Or your phone or iPad or whatever other nerfty gadget you have. And those right there should be proof enough of our intelligent design.
In school we learn about animals and the various species. Reptiles, amphibians, arachnids (eek!), birds, insects, and mammals, etc. And of course we learn that we - homo sapiens – are part of the mammal species.
But we all know we are much more than ‘animal’. Sure we share many characteristics and traits with all the other creatures out there. (Another poof of intelligent design) We eat, drink, sleep, breathe, pee and poop, reproduce, gestate, give birth and nourish new life. We do what we can to at least stay alive. But it’s obvious there’s something different about us – something extraordinarily unique.
We care about things that animals clearly do not. You don’t see animals walking around in clothes and getting together for coffee to talk about the state of current affairs. Animals don’t spend time looking up into the night sky and wondering if there is a God or not. Animals don’t sit around wondering what they are supposed to do with their lives, they don’t think about who they want to be friends with or where or if they are going to go to college or who they are going to marry and how many kids they will have. (They are actually a step above us in that respect.)
But I do. I’m more than some ‘evolved mammal’ who lives only to survive and follow my animal instincts.
I think. I ponder. I wonder. I contemplate.
I feel.
And not just pain – animals feel that too. And not just basic emotions – animals can be depressed or content. Ask anyone who has a pet.
I feel sadness, grief, anger, frustration…hate.
I feel peace. I feel joy. I feel LOVE.
And because of these thoughts and feelings, I do.
I move. I work. I act. I decide.
What I do isn’t just about survival. I don’t behave only according to whatever is best for my survival. I don’t only make behavioral choices because of ‘forced social norms’ or because of how it will benefit me. (Well not all the time.) I have the capacity to go beyond that.
I have the capacity to forget myself, to forget what’s best for me, and do what’s better for another.
That’s called LOVE. Not only can I feel love, I can choose to accept it and to give it. Because it has been given to me.
If you think about everything humans can do and have done. It’s incredible.
We talk, we sing, we dance.
We explore, discover, learn and teach. We dream and aspire. We yearn.
We create, build, and express -
Captivating art, music, prose and poetry that reach into the depths of our souls; the great and mysterious pyramids and other awesome architectural buildings; planes, trains, automobiles, space shuttles that stretch our minds (and the laws of physics!); machines, computers, robots, things like Google glass; and let’s not even get started with modern medicine and all the life-saving miracles it can bring!
And I’m sure we haven’t even gotten started yet.
Humans are amazing creatures. And we are not just some random and unorganized mass of protons and neutrons with the capacity for high intelligence and grand ideas.
What we are and who we are – and all that we can do and be – is because we are intelligently designed that way.
Hence, a Designer.
. It’s heavy reading but has been a good brain exercise. I appreciate that St. Thomas and so many others along the way, stopped and gave such deep thought and time to really reflect on why we believe in God. It’s not just because someone told us He exists. A true faith has to be more than that. I’ve found that many of his ‘proofs of God’ are similar to my own thoughts about why I believe God exists. You can read summaries of these proofs by Peter Kreeft 
