Thought for the Week
I’m a congenital skeptic. Yet somehow I made the leap of faith. Still, I was troubled by recurring doubts. The idea of a God who loved me and created me to dwell with him and others in eternal love and unity just seemed too wonderful to be true. And yet, at the same time, it resonated deeply within me, far deeper than mere emotions or upbringing (and, no, it wasn’t what I was raised to believe).
So I asked Jim, a church elder, if he ever had any doubts about the reality of what he believed. “No, never,” he replied without a second’s hesitation. I was shattered. My faith isn’t real! I thought. For weeks, I kept my fake faith a secret. Finally, I confessed my doubts to Roger, a seasoned believer and theologian. “Well, of course you have doubts,” he said, “that’s what causes you to ask questions, to test your faith and make it grow.” “Well, what about Jim?” I asked. “Oh, Jim? He’s afraid to ask. He doesn’t have enough faith for doubt.”
That was when I began to understand that doubt is a facet of faith, not it’s opposite. Khalil Gibran observed, “Doubt is a pain too lonely to know that faith is his twin brother.” Doubt is the shadow that helps us see the light. “Now I see but a dim reflection as in a mirror,” the Apostle Paul said, “but then I will see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known” (1 Corinthians 13:12).
Some thoughts by those who’ve wrestled with doubt:
“A faith without some doubts is like a human body without antibodies in it. People who blithely go through life too busy or indifferent to ask hard questions about why they believe as they do will find themselves defenseless against either the experience of tragedy or the probing questions of a smart skeptic.” ~Tim Keller
“Fanaticism is overcompensation for doubt.” ~Robertson Davies
“It is not as a child that I believe and confess Jesus Christ. My hosanna is born of a furnace of doubt.” ~Fyodor Dostoyevski
“Faith which does not doubt is dead faith.” ~Miguel de Unamuno
“Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens.” ~J.R.R. Tolkien
“It is when things go wrong, when good things do not happen, when our prayers seem to have been lost, that God is most present. We do not need the sheltering wings when things go smoothly. We are closest to God in the darkness, stumbling along blindly.” ~Madeleine L’Engle
“It’s a faith journey, not a guilt trip.” ~Unknown
Great quotes. Even Thomas doubted and he walked with Jesus closer than we ever will in this life. Jesus didn’t rebuke him, but drew him closer to see Him more clearly. Maybe it’s our doubts that draw us closer to Jesus.
Totally agree… they draw me to my knees every time! 👍🏻❣️
“He doesn’t have enough faith for doubt ”
LOL! Right? It takes faith to ask questions and you have to trust that the truth will prevail. I like the quote, “faith without doubt isn’t faith, it’s certainty.”
My thoughts, exactly! 👍🏻
Thanks yet again, Mitch. For me, at least, your posts always arrive to remind of something that I really need to remember. Right now. I learned about the value of doubt early on in my journey. So often, in the midst of the darkness that accompanies my doubts, I forget that the doubts lead my ever closer to the light.🙏✝️
My privilege, Gail, and yes, I know what you mean.
Loved this post, and all that it builds up. ♥
Thanks Mitch, you post resonated with me in a big way – “It is when things go wrong, when good things do not happen, when our prayers seem to have been lost, that God is most present. We do not need the sheltering wings when things go smoothly. We are closest to God in the darkness, stumbling along blindly.” Right!!!!!
Right!
THANK YOU for sharing your honesty! A post lots of us can relate to. ❣️🙏🏽
My privilege, Ellen.
Interesting perspectives on doubt and faith.
Beautifully put and quoted, Mitch. Thank you.
My pleasure, Bob.
This is such a great post!
John the Baptist had a crisis of faith while imprisoned. I reckon if it can happen to the guy who Baptized Jesus, it can happen to any of us.
It’s good to wrestle with our faith sometimes. God always prevails, but in some crazy way I always end up being the benefactor!
Great point, Scott.
A couple of my faves.. Dostoevsky and Madelien L’Engle. Wisdom abounds and is not only the opening of a book. Open the eyes of my heart Lord, I want to see you, I want to know you, I want to hear your voice.
Love that L’Engle quote! I can vouch for having felt the indescribable presence of God more palpably in times of trouble than in times of ease. Not that I didn’t feel the pain associated with my circumstances. But he provided the balm of comfort and strength to see me through.
Our God has done the same for me Nancy and I’m glad to hear you have experienced his love, presence and power in your life.
1 corinthians 11:12 have faith through the lord uploaded 13:12
I love every one of these paragraphs!
Why, thank you, Carol.
Who can disagree with Dostoyevski or Tolkien?
The “unknown” quote sums up the faith argument in a nutshell. Thanks for discussing this topic, Mitch. 🙂
I’ve known dozens of Jim’s and a handful of Roger’s. I prefer the company of the latter. It’s probably why I keep reading your posts, Mitch. Roger that. 🫡
;>) Thanks, David.
To have enough faith to keep on believing when at the moment it may not make sense, but over time, we gain more faith and a clear perspective. Excellent!
Agreed, and thank you, Grant.
Brilliant. In God’s “Upside Down Kingdom” (as we label it from our own upside-down world), doubt should be an indicator of faith. In a world where free will exists, doubt must exist, meaning faith is then paramount.
True, and thank you, Anonymous.
This is great stuff, Mitch, thanks for sharing.
Just the other day my mind was on this very subject. Skepticism is a gift because it allows us to mature our faith and go deeper in it. When we rigorously interrogate the truth and finding it to still be consistent and rational, our trust in it is that much more sure.
But that’s only the case if skepticism fulfills its intended purpose of inspiring research and discovery. Those who question without actually pursuing any answer will instead find their skepticism hardening into cynicism.
A very important point, Abe.
Our God is faithful and his favor, grace and mercy is so incredibly amazing that I don’t have any doubt.
I learned long ago where doubt comes from. So in a nutshell, it’s your mind ..,don’t let the devil turn it into a trash can.
Not sure why WordPress turned my message into a Anonymous post.
That’s the 2nd or 3rd time that’s happened.
I think it’s related to a random/intermittent “sign-in” requirement WordPress recently added. It seems to kick-in even when people are already signed-in, and without clearly informing them.
Thanks for the information Mitch.
Logging in on Android isn’t as easy as the computer so that may be the culprit too.
Have you tried the WP App on Android? If so, is it stable?
Not on Android per se, Cora, but I use my Amazon Fire tablet at lot. It uses a customized version of Android, which is pretty wonky, to say the least.
That helps me. I didn’t know Amazon made a Android device, thanks!
Beautiful post 🌹
Thank you, Satyam.
Welcome 🙏 freinds visit my website
Pingback: Doubt and Faith – QuietMomentsWithGod
“If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself” (2 Timothy 2:13). That’s a verse I held onto during some very difficult times in my life and my walk with the Lord. Sometimes, my faith would be stretched to the limit and I was not sure I still believed, but somehow, the Lord would hold onto me and (in His time) prove that He is always faithful.
Thanks for sharing these insights. It’s OK if we wrestle with doubt, because our faith should be in Jesus, not in our ability to believe.
Amen, Michael.
Word Press changed the way users log in now.
When typing in a reply to your blog I then have to scroll down and click either the WP icon, Facebook icon or the e-mail icon for the reply to get posted.
Because complicated is always better, right? Btw, WordPress has listed you as Anonymous — another recent “improvement.”
This is an outstanding message and post. Thank you. “Not enough faith for doubt” is a gut check.
Thanks, AJ.
Pingback: Faith Is a Muscle | Mitch Teemley
Pingback: Doubt and Faith | Restored People Community
This resonated with me on a level I cannot begin to explain.
I’m so pleased to hear that, Rachel.
Pingback: Doubt and Faith – Gospelchats.Com
Pingback: Embracing the Miracle | Mitch Teemley
It is in our weakness that HE is made strong.