Doubts.

We all have them. I have had them over the course of my life. At those times  … how I have wanted to hide them. Deny them. Pretend I didn’t have them. But they were there.

Doubt has been defined as …

“to be uncertain about; consider questionable or unlikely; to be apprehensive about; to hesitate to believe.” (dictionary.com)

Doubt can be such a lonely struggle for that very reason – it is our struggle alone. We hesitate to bring anyone into the midst of our wavering and we do not want to drag our struggle out into the open. Yet the solution seems to lie in bringing our struggle out into the open:

Declaring my unbelief was the first step; declaring my unbelief allowed me to begin to seek authentically. (Michelle DeRusha, Spiritual Misfit)

I recently had the opportunity to ask Michelle this question:  Is there one Scripture in particular which spoke to your heart in the midst of your doubt?

I found her response to be refreshing and genuine …

“One of my favorite verses is Mark 9:24: “Lord, I believe! Help me unbelief!” The very first time I read that, I thought, “Yes! That’s it; that’s me!” That verse captures the tension between belief and unbelief that often exists, at least for me, in faith. It also gives me hope. The man who uttered those honest words presented his whole, flawed, waffly self to Jesus, and Jesus accepted him and loved him without hesitation.”

We are all flawed. We all waffle. We all doubt at times when life gets difficult and there seems to be a discrepancy between our faith and our circumstances. There are times, we cannot see God in the midst of the darkness. It is in those very times, we can cry out for our God to help us in our doubt, to supply us with the very faith we need to believe.

It is then, more than ever, we need to remember His Word, His Promises, His truths to us:

• He knows what He is doing. “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11) We may not know or see or understand at the moment all that He is doing in our lives.
• Jesus comes into the midst of our doubts. “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” (John 20:27) He provides the proof. He Himself is the answer.
• He opens our eyes and understanding. The disciples walking on the road to Emmaus were despondent and felt hopeless after the death of Jesus. Jesus Himself called them “slow of heart”. And yet, He shared all the Scriptures concerning Himself with them. He opened their eyes and understanding to Who He was. (see Luke 24:13-34)

There will be crisis in our lives which cause us to have questions. We may at times become uncomfortable with our fears. May we remember at those times the safest place to bring our doubts is before the very One Who can help us to believe.

Times of doubt can become the catalysts to deeper faith.

“Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in your instructions.” (Psalm 119:18)

“I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24)

Every single one of us has struggled through hard and difficult times. Michelle DeRusha has written a memoir about her own journey with faith and doubt. She writes with a transparency and honesty which will touch your heart and move you towards a deeper relationship with God. Her book, Spiritual Misfit, will be released April 15th. You can pre-order your copy on Amazon, Barnes & Noble or ChristianBook.com . (These are not affiliate links.)

Today I joined … Thought Provoking Thurs. and Thriving Thurs. and Thankful Thurs. and Thurs. Favorite Things and Tell His Story and Thrive at Home and The Cozy Reading Spot and Booknificent Thurs. and Quitting Thurs. .