They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”
John 4:41, NIV
Being from Missouri, the Show Me State, it is basically engrained in me that experiencing something is significantly different than merely hearing about it. Our belief in God may begin through hearing about Him from others, but we can’t allow our faith to remain in that state. It must grow to more.
After the Samaritan woman at the well came to know who Jesus was, she went back to the town and told everyone about Him. They left what they were doing and headed to the well themselves. Their faith grew through their pursuit of Jesus as does ours. The belief which began based on the woman’s testimony grew to a personal belief after time with Jesus.