I Doubt it 2: Another Thought for Those of Us Who Have Doubts

Sometimes life is like learning to snowboard. The first time I snowboarded, I spent most of the day testing the surface of the snow with my rear. Once or twice I just stayed down there watching cloud formations. The second time was different. I was able to stay up most of the time. I eventually graduated to the intermediate slope and enjoyed a few top to bottom runs without going bottom up. A couple hours in I was tooling along thinking, "I got this!" That's when my board decided to take a hard left. I centrifugally launched on a straight trajectory that increased vertical distance to the ground on a path of descent (i.e. further out, further down). I landed on my right shoulder. Six years have past since that fall. I still haven't regained full range of motion.

Life is like that. You find yourself on auto-pilot thinking, "I've got this." You expect the slope of life to be well groomed. That is usually when you catch an edge. You are upended. What happens (spiritually) when that happens? Doubt happens. It happened to a man Jesus described as "the greatest man who ever lived" (Matthew 11:11). His name was John, a.k.a. John the Baptist. Think of all the biblical examples of faith and faithfulness. Think of every man or woman who has made an indelible, positive impact on humanity. According to Jesus, John is the apex, pinnacle, the top of that list. After a stellar life of faithfulness to God John was imprisoned (for telling the truth) and sentenced to die by beheading. Did this bastion of the faith, facing imminent death, do so with a settled mind and a steel spine? Did he toggle between praise songs and prayers until the axe met its mark? Hardly. 

^{Matthew 11:2-3}

² John the Baptist, who was in prison, heard about all the things the Messiah was doing. So he sent his disciples to ask Jesus, ³ “Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?”

In other words, "I thought you were it Jesus? Have I totally wasted my life? This is not what I expected? I'm doubting everything." Did Jesus rebuke him? Did he use his struggle as an example of floundering faith to be avoided? No. Jesus did what Jesus-followers should but seldom do in similar situations. He sent John a message that affirmed his worth, encouraged his heart, settled his mind, and carried him through.

^{Matthew 11:4-5}

⁴ Jesus told them, “Go back to John and tell him what you have heard and seen— ⁵ the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor...

¹⁰ John is the man to whom the Scriptures refer when they say,

‘Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
    and he will prepare your way before you.’

¹¹ “I tell you the truth, of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John the Baptist.

When people are struggling with doubt what should we do? Resist the urge to quote a verse. Stop judging for God's sake! Affirm their worth to God and to you. Let them know (if you are in a place to) that they can borrow some of your faith for awhile if they don't have any of their own. Repeat as often as necessary..."and so fulfill the law of Christ" (Galatians 6:2).