Doubt (verb): to feel uncertain about; to be afraid
of. How often do you and I doubt? Sometimes our doubt is visible and we are
open about it. Sometimes it’s in moments where there is a little voice in the
back of our heads that is barely whispering but plants the tiniest seed of
doubt. We all doubt. And it will forever serve as one of the biggest cripples
for Christians. I find that the moments when we as Christians experience most
of our doubt is when we feel like we’re being punished. We can’t hold up under
the pressure, so we doubt God’s love or maybe even his existence. Trial and
tribulation causes us to question God’s motives.
Many
people will tell you ways to deal with the tribulation in order that you don’t
doubt. There are a lot of empty promises out there that we easily get confused
with what God actually tells us about the things we’re going through. Cliché statements
like “God gives his toughest battles to his strongest soldiers” are statements
that you won’t find in the bible. We make up our own comforting words to
convince ourselves that we’re going through this struggle but that it won’t be
hard. But what does the bible actually say?
Hebrews
12:7-8 “Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For
what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined-
and every one undergoes discipline- then you are not legitimate, not true sons
and daughters at all.” This verse tells us A LOT about how God thinks of us.
How often does Satan whisper to us “God doesn’t love you” when the storms of
life rage on? More so, how often do we believe it! We agree with Satan 9 times
out of 10, but Satan is a liar. The bible, God’s written word, tells us that we
are undergoing our hardships because we are true children of God. Does it say
that it will be easy? Not at all. Jesus never once said this life would be
easy. In fact, he was pretty upfront about the trials we will endure. Too often
we let the severity of our storm persuade us into doubt.
I
assume that many of you who read this paper are parents yourself. God makes
sure that you personally will be able to relate to what he’s saying by adding
the tidbit in about parenting. It is a fact of life that you have to discipline
your kids in order for them to mature and to grow. Do you like it? Of course
not. It’s hard for you and it’s hard for the kids. As a child, a spanking or a
time out is devastating. To them, it’s just as bad as anything you are going
through in your “grown up life”. But you still have to put them through it. God
wants you to relate to this verse with your own life.
It
may be tough on both parties, but God is our Father. He disciplines us, his
true children, in order that we may come out stronger and wiser than before. We’re
not being punished, we’re being refined. This is such a hard thing to keep in
mind when we are at that point of struggle, but it is essential. Even when life
is raging on, we must continue to seek God, continue to love God, and continue
to believe God. Satan is a liar. Any non-believer could tell you this. Don’t
let a liar talk you out of the most intense love and experiences you could
possibly imagine. Take hold of the life God gave you, along with its ups and
downs, and live.
