Starting the Day in the Midst of Torrents of Doubts

They rain down like cats and dogs.

They flood you like a super-sized firehose turned squarely at your face at full force.

They attack you like 10,000 bees are incensed that you inadvertently knocked down their hive.

They try to spiritually suffocate you, drown you, choke the life out of you, stop your heart and cripple you forever.  They are uninvited and you hate them yet they show up for dinner.

What are these wretched things I am speaking of?

Doubts.

In particular, doubts about God, Christ, the Bible, etc etc.  Is it all true? Am I a fool for believing all this?  How can I be intellectually honest and follow Jesus simultaneously?

And, quite frankly, Christian church history doesn't help a whole lot.  The institutional church has consistently opposed science.  Generations later, when the science was accepted, the church caved in and said, 'Oh ok, it was a correct world view all along ... sorry!'

But only after killing tens of thousands and upheaving societies.

That is another writing however, not this one.

I have personally had doubts about every aspect of my Christianity.  From A to Z.  Nothing excluded.

It seems that when I am in the midst of these, God somehow always provides a sign or a thought or a further enlightenment to rescue me.  He reminds me of something that has occurred to me in times past or arranges my present circumstances in such a way that my doubt lessens.

I have come to believe that it is part of the human condition to have doubts about our Creator's existence.   Or Christ's existence.  Or the Holy Spirit's existence.

Mainly because they are all invisible and we are all visible.  That sets the stage for doubt right from the starting line, doesn't it?

So what do you do when you start your day and squadrons of doubts assume attack formation around you?

Here are 3 things that might help ...

1)  Ask God to help you with your doubts - let's face it, we need to look to him for help in all our complexities ... and doubt is one of those complexities, right? Right!  So reach out and say 'Lord, help me with my doubts'.

2) Don't take a head-first dive into the pool of unrelenting guilt when you experience doubts.  It is part of the human condition.  You will have to deal with doubts so there is no need to feel less than or highly defective when these come upon you. As a matter of fact, if you really want to feel hobbled, try shouldering a fresh load of doubts AND guilt as you start your day.  If I was the devil, I would really like you to have these twin burdens on you each day.  Your effectiveness would be neutralized quite efficiently.

3) Above all, keep a clear head about you.  As you move through doubts, find a trusted friend to talk to.  Not one who will deliver 15 scathing rebukes in the first 5 seconds.  But one who is wise and loving.

Doubt of all sizes and shapes come with the territory, as we traverse the Christian terrain.

What do you do when doubts rain down upon you?