Have Not Seen, Yet Have Believed

Thomas the apostle famously refused to believe that Jesus was resurrected unless he, like the others, could actually see him. When Jesus did appear, he said to Thomas, "blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed." (John 20:29)

One man gave me a different twist on this concept. He said that he's made a lot of mistakes he wished he would have avoided. He was grateful he could repent, but he would have preferred to avoid the sin altogether in the first place. And then he quoted the verse above and applied it to himself. He wished he could have learned from the experiences of others. He believes he would have been more blessed not to have experienced the consequences of sin for himself but instead to believe on the words of those who had walked the path before him.