What to do with Doubt?

As the days become shorter, and the hours of daylight become cloudier, we might feel our

mood disorder symptoms worsen. Would anyone like to share about how their mood has been

as the rains have set in? Has anyone noticed if their feelings of doubt have increased, about

their own self-worth, their own future, or even their faith? Remember, this is a safe space to

share.

Doubt, like anger, has a stigma, especially around Christians, and it can have negative

consequences in our lives if we allow it to rule us, there are nuggets of wisdom to be found

when we see those emotions as simply part of the normal, healthy range of emotions everyone

has. Doubt especially calls us to dig deeper into what is true, which I think we can all agree is a

good thing. Let’s consider self-doubt for a moment: If our thoughts about our identity, and

maybe our own worth in this world bring us pain, doubt that there is any reason to be here, we

can be honest, that these are scary thoughts, and not healthy for us to linger on for too long.

But we can search for reliable sources of truth about these thoughts, to push back against the

doubt. Would anyone like to share what some of these sources might be?

We might take the movie, “Its a wonderful life” ‘s approach, and consider all the people our

lives have touched, and those we’ve shown kindness to, not knowing the long-term effects of

those singular acts and moments of time. We could turn to friends, counsellors, family,

whoever we know likes us, to give us better information to banish the doubt. But of course, the

best source is always God. We can remember that we are his walking works of art, created with

love and a purpose, we can dwell upon what he defines love as, and that his was so great he

gave his only son to sacrifice for us, that we could be in relationship with him now and for all

eternity. Let’s read the “love verses” now, remembering that God is the source of all love, so in

fact, these verses describe how he loves us.

1 Corinthians 13: 4-8 “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not

proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no

record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects,

always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”

Now, in the case of having doubt in our faith, you may feel there is no truth that can heal that

but look again at these verses. Let’s consider together, God’s patience with us as we doubt; his

kindnesses we may ignore that pop up in our lives as we struggle with our faith. The clear

statement that He has no need of us to boost his self-confidence, nor is our worship of him to

simply stroke his pride. He forgave us entirely, past, present and future for all our failings,

through his son’s sacrifice. He rejoices with us as we seek the truth. Look at his promises, to

always trust, hope and persevere alongside us; he will never fail us. This is a God who will carry

us through our doubt, if we simply let him.

If your faith is at the point of questioning God’s existence, please, don’t despair. Let us pray for

your support, and consider joining us at our alpha meetings, another safe place to say exactly

how you feel with no judgement. If you feel comfortable in doing so, please join in as we sing

this worship song together, another way to share truth to one another and to bask in the glory

of his love.

Who Am I

Verse 1

Who am I that the Lord of all the earth

Would care to know my name, would care to feel my hurt

Who am I that the Bright and Morning Star

Would choose to light the way for my ever wand'ring heart

(Pre-Chorus)

Not because of who I am, but because of what You've done

Not because of what I've done, but because of who You are

Chorus

I am a flower quickly fading, here today and gone tomorrow

A wave tossed in the ocean, a vapor in the wind

Still You hear me when I'm calling, Lord You catch me when I'm falling

And You've told me who I am: I am Yours

Verse 2

Who am I that the eyes that see my sin

Would look on me with love and watch me rise again

Who am I that the voice that calmed the sea

Would call out through the rain and calm the storm in me