Doubt

Do I experience doubt? I certainly do, but this needs some investigation. WHY do I doubt? WHAT do I doubt? WHO do I doubt? In answer to these questions, I'm reminded what happens when I'm alone. Oddly, despite my doubts, I find myself chatting with God. I can't stop doing that, because it comes naturally to me. It's part of my nature.

Naturally
What's your favourite pastime? Mine's walking and, though I enjoy walking with friends, such company isn't always possible. So, I often go walking on my own though, in truth, I never walk alone. Invariably, as I walk, I find myself talking with God. I don't make a special effort to pray. I don't even think of it as praying. It happens naturally, including those times when life is not running smoothly and I'm facing challenges. t

Nagging
Yes, I do have doubts. I don't try to avoid them. I'm happy to read books or listen to arguments that might challenge my faith, because I've learned that faith is stronger when it's been tested. The fact is that I DO believe in one God. I DO believe in Jesus, his Son, who died on a Roman cross and rose from the dead three days later. I DO believe in the Holy Spirit and have personal experience of his influence in my life. So, where's the doubt? When I get down to it I find that the doubt is in ME. I mean, it's not God I'm doubting, it's MYSELF. There are those nagging thoughts - "You're not good enough" - "You don't really believe those things, do you?"

Worry
Those nagging doubts aren't always there, but they visit frequently enough to be familiar. Yes, they're often in the background, but I no longer feel threatened by them. To quote Maurice Smith, a valuable mentor earlier in my life,
"I worry, but I no longer worry that I worry".
So, to return to my opening questions -

• Why do I doubt? - Because I have a mind.
• WHAT do I doubt? -Whether I really qualify.
• WHO do I doubt? -I doubt myself.

Gullible
When doubt is brought on by the pressures of life it brings a special blessing - it enables us to discover what it's like at the bottom. My doubts stop me taking myself too seriously. They keep me down to size. They force me to examine the evidence for my beliefs, so that I'm not gullible or naive. They chip away at falseness, so I'm able to trust what's left Doubts are an important corollary to faith.

But there's another area of doubt that worries many believers, namely The Bible - but that's another subject.
You can follow that up by reading:
Gospel Truth
and
Doubting and Believing