The Growth of Doubt

This week I am beginning a new teaching series on Faith and Doubt. At first I was all excited because I wanted to give people a safe place to come and wrestle with doubts that I think all people have. (Which that assumption maybe wrong.) And by wrestling with our doubts, we will hopefully grow in our faith.

Then I thought about child-like faith, simply believing. God calls us to have childlike faith. But as a child grows a child asks questions, and wonders, and doubts, and then believes again?

As I child I thought my dad, all 5'1" of him, was the biggest strongest man alive. Well by the time I was in 6th grade I was as tall as my dad. Somewhere in high school I remember finally being able to beat him at arm wrestling. Then I remember going to work with my dad and thinking that this is what he has done all his life for me. And now some 24 years since that day, well, I again realize that my dad really is the biggest strongest man alive.

Maybe that is how faith, how a relationship really grows.

Easter

Easter seems to sneak up on me each year. It is not like Christmas. We plan and prepare and negotiate our calendars to make Christmas happen. But not Easter. Easter just kind of happens.

I guess if we were to think about it too much, I don't know if we would want to celebrate? Yes, Jesus is alive, risen from the dead, ONLY because He had to die. And what a death, a horrible death it was. In order for me to really celebrate Easter I have to wrestle with my own sins. My own guilt. I don't like that.

In fact I hate guilt motivation. I don't believe in it. It works, for a season. A short season. But the reality is I AM GUILTY and Jesus was NOT.

You see I would much rather focus on how the resurrection, the new life, the love that Jesus has for me so that I can live eternally with him.

But you can't get to the resurrection with the cross.

So we live this Easter between two worlds. In that tension, we find hope, we find life.