Huh? What’s that title all about? I was thinking a few days ago after the men’s group meeting that I attended that it seems that people often doubt their faith. I have to be honest and include myself in that category. Being a believer is difficult at times, and we can sometimes doubt our own faith when things get hard. Maybe I don’t pray enough. Maybe I don’t believe strongly enough. After all, the Bible says that if your faith is as big as a mustard seed, you can move mountains. Moved any mountains lately?
It sort of dawned on me that I never hear atheists or other non-believers say, “My life is so tough right now. I guess God really does exist after all.” Nope, when things get tough, atheists keep on believing in their beliefs. Their faith in themselves doesn’t seem to waver to the point that they suddenly turn into believers. How much better must it be then, to know that there is a God that we can turn to to help us through those difficult times? And why would we ever doubt our faith, or our God?
Life is one big test. I believe that God designed the world in such a way that we would be tested to the utmost of our abilities, and then past them. Why would He do such a thing? Is He trying to break us? Just the opposite. If you want big muscles, what do you do? Pump iron, a lot. Sometimes it can even be painful. But if you practice self-discipline in training, diet, and rest, you will grow. When life is like a barbell pushing down on us, God wants us to turn to Him. We must discipline ourselves to practice prayer, read scripture, attend church, and spread the gospel, and we will only be made stronger through Him.
When you feel sometimes like your faith is shaky, just remember that you have to have faith in the first place to be able to feel its absence. I think that the fact we sometimes doubt our faith only proves that it exists, that it hasn’t disappeared. Accept the challenges that life provides, secure in the knowledge that God never leaves us, never stops loving us, and always wants what is best for us, even when we doubt Him, don’t believe in Him, and can’t feel Him. Practice trusting Him, and learn to be like an atheist, with unwavering faith in what you believe in. Except different.
Fill the Jar 