The Dirt on Doubt

Doubt is the soil in which fear grows. What a simple, but powerful statement, so let‘s ponder it today.  First off, doubt itself is not a dirty word, although some believers would like you to think it is.  There are those who will tell you that if doubt enters your thinking, you can’t really be a “true” Christian.  True Christians, they explain, never question God or the Bible, and if you do, well let’s just say you better buy asbestos underwear!!!  Those who doubt, don’t have faith.  Pish posh I say.  God hot-wired us with the ability to “doubt” things. Why?  I think the reason lies in the notion that God wants us to be sure of who he is.

To find out who or what anything really is, or stands for, involves some inquiry.  The dictionary gives us this definition of doubt: to be uncertain about; consider questionable or unlikely; hesitate to believe. I’m sure we can all think of things that, at one point in our life, we were doubtful about. In the process of gaining information on it, we came to understand and accept it.  Doubt can be, and often is, the springboard for belief.  So then, let’s go back to the quote.  Doubt is normal and natural, but when it is not sated by knowledge, it will become the fertile ground in which fear takes root. Why do you think Jesus spent 3 years with his disciples?  Was it just to crash weddings, or tick off the established society?  Well, maybe just a little…NO, it was because he needed them to come to a decision about him based on their doubts being addressed.  He never said to them, or to us, “don’t ever question me.”  In fact, most of his top men were big time doubters.  Remember Thomas? The reason they didn’t wind up in a field of fears, was because they  let their doubts lead them to the truth.

We all have doubts, but God wants to remedy that.  Go ahead, ask him the difficult stuff. He already knows what bothers you, but he wants  us to be certain of our faith.  We can never be useful in God’s kingdom, if fear has us shaking in our boots.  Let me draw a mental picture for you.  Imagine that you , representing  Doubt, come to a fork in the road.  Two ways are offered; one to persist in doubt, and the other to seek answers.  Which direction will you choose?  When you’re faced with doubts, and we all will be, choose to explore his word, and by so doing, uproot fear.  God created us to flourish in the certainty of his love, not wither in fear. “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.” 1 John 4:18.