Living with Doubts

Doubt is a normal part of life. Even confident people can be shaken when they start a new job, speak publicly for the first time or compete at a new level in a sport. Doubt is also part of religion. Does God exist? Am I worthy of salvation?

Doubt is a sense of uncertainty. It may come from a lack of knowledge or from an event that we witnessed. We may still believe, but cracks occur in our foundation. Like all problems, we need to fix them. So here is some information I have gathered about doubt and how to deal with it.

Everyone Doubts

This fact can not be understated. It happens to everyone. Mother Teresa gave her life to the service of the poor. She felt as if it was her calling in life. She is considered by most people to be a saint. But she doubted her faith more than most people. She even felt that God abandoned her at times. But she asked people to pray for her and continued her work.

Job from the Bible was considered by God himself to be a “blameless and upright man.” Even though Job was tormented by Satan and lost his wealth, health and even his children, he did not stop believing. He did start to doubt God’s righteous judgment of him though. God does not condemn him for it. The book of Job can be found below:

https://www.biblestudytools.com/job/1.html

And probably the biggest example of someone with doubts was the Apostle Thomas. He had traveled with Jesus and saw him perform miracles. Jesus told his apostles several times that he would die and be resurrected after 3 days. I don’t think any of the apostles knew what he meant. Thomas was known to be loyal to Jesus, but he was absent when the other 11 apostles saw him after the resurrection. He wanted to believe, but had doubts. Jesus did not hold it against him.

https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/John-Chapter-20/

Is Doubting Good or Bad?

Doubting is not bad. In fact, as you saw above, some very religious people have had their doubts. It only becomes a problem if you succumb into it or ignore it completely. When you give into doubt, you try to justify it. You try to blame God for not helping you when you score poorly on a test when in reality you did not study. He will give you the strength to study, but you need to do the work.

It is more dangerous to simply ignore your doubt. I think this happens a lot when we are younger. We come across something that we do not understand. We feel that we should know the answer and are afraid to look ignorant by asking questions. Or, we think that if we just believe hard enough, our doubt will go away. But we will be judged whether we understand God’s word or not.

We can’t fix what we don’t know is broken. Doubting points out our flaws. We can then take steps to strengthen the cracks in our spiritual armor. Embrace your doubt. Use it to grow.

Steps to Overcoming Doubt

We cannot totally eliminate doubt. As I showed above, even the apostles doubted at times. So lets explore some ways to reduce our doubt and make our lives better.

1) Admit your doubt. I already covered this step, but it bears repeating. Once you admit you have doubts, you can do something about it.

2) Search for answers. One resource I use a lot is an online version of the bible. They are asearchable source and have resources normal bibles do not. The King James version has a tool called “Bible Tool By Topic.” Just pick a topic (temptation, anger, gambling) and see what bible verses match your issue:

https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Bible-Verses/

3) Youtube is another wonderful resource. It is full of videos created by professionals and individuals who provide explanations on just about everything. (Just be careful of false prophets). One channel I enjoy is Impact Video Ministries. They provide plenty of bible references and use a whiteboard to help visually explain an issue. Most of the clips are short (less than 10 minutes) and are easily digestible.

https://www.youtube.com/@ImpactVideoMinistries

If you have more time and want to deep dive into belief, check out the channel Cross Examined. This channel features lectures along with question and answer discussions. Most of the debates that I have seen are handled respectfully and openly. I like that. The added benefit is that you learn not just the religious side of an issue, but they give historical context to the discussion.

https://www.youtube.com/@CrossExamined

4) Ask someone. As always, it helps to talk to a real person. Firsthand accounts are more impactful. Not only do you see what someone went through, but they may be able to give you a fresh perspective on your doubts. At other times, it is just nice to have company.

5) Pray. Talk directly to God. God loves you and wants to help you. Find a quiet place. Take some time and quiet your mind. When you are ready, tell God what you doubt. Be direct and ask Him for help. Open your heart and be ready for what He says.

Parting Words

Everyone loses faith at times. It does not matter how many times you fall down. It only matters how many times you get up. My journey has been a rocky one. It has become easier as I have gotten older and studied more. I still have a lot to learn, but I hope you will continue to join me on my journey.

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