doubt (a guest post)

I asked a good friend of mine (who'll make a huge impact in this world - just a heads-up) if she'd be willing to write a guest post for me

she graciously accepted

- you can check out her blog at: http://notmebutyou.tumblr.com/

Tyson asked me this question: What has God been breaking your heart over, lately?

My answer: Doubt.

Ephesians 2:8 says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God,” and we (rightfully so) put great emphasis on faith. We want to see more, do more, hear more, and believe more, and we need faith to do so. It’s the very foundation of our relationship with Jesus, as Ephesians states.

But.

Sometimes, I struggle with doubt. And it’s not even the ‘little’ doubts about God’s character, or certain aspects of Christianity. No, I struggle with the big ones, the faith-shaking, heart-wrenching, mind-rocking ones about existence, truth and whether this ‘Christianity’ thing is worth it. There, admitted. And this leads me to what God has been breaking my heart over. It hurts me to know that there are Christ-followers in the Church who silently experience and live with doubt.

The thing is, it totally makes sense. If faith is the foundation of absolutely everything concerning us and God, then doubt will be one of the devil’s primary weapons. When Satan tempted Jesus in the desert, he began each temptation with “if” (IF you are who you claim to be, then . . . ), and Satan says the same sorts of things to us. “IF you are a child of God, how could THIS happen? IF God is real, then why does THIS make so much sense?”

But the interesting thing about doubt is that it is a struggle. And as long as it’s a struggle, it’s just like anything else. Sure, we wrestle with it – sometimes losing ground, sometimes experiencing triumph –but in the end we will be victorious. There will be no such thing as ‘faith’ in heaven, for its opposite, doubt, will not exist.  

And the neat thing about it is that God will restore you to faith, if you let Him. What a paradox. In the midst of your doubt, trust God enough to remove it. But that’s why faith is considered a choice. C.S. Lewis said, “Faith is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted, in spite of your changing moods.”

So. Brothers and sisters. Please. Be open about the things you are doubting. It’s hard, but we’ve all been there. The last conversation I had about this was one from which I walked away completely and refreshingly faith-full. God created His Church to be a Body for a reason; we were never meant to do this Christ-following thing alone.    

John 20:24-31. God bless.