A Friend in Need

Originally uploaded by what_milk

What would you do?

A friend comes to you for spiritual advice. She has recently concluded that God does not exist, and you ask why. She tells you it is because of what she went through 2 years ago. She said that she fell in love with and had an affair with a married man. She was surprised but very excited to find out that she was pregnant. She carried the baby for 7 months but had a traumatic miscarriage. She used to believe that God was punishing her for the affair; she went through a period of feeling guilty but then she became angry. She said that only a cruel god would punish a baby for her sins. It didn't make sense to her that God could be cruel so she stopped believing all together. She wants to know if you believe in God; if so why would God allow that to happen?




What would you say? How would you approach the topic of faith with her?




Related Links:


Doubting God's existence
What to Say to the Depressed, Doubting, Skeptical, Confused, Angry

Fighting Through Faith

It Can be Good to Doubt God

 I wrote a post on Jeremiah 17:5. The post was about the difference between men who trust in God verses a man who does not. Trusting in God will help you to flourish and feel God's protection. While this is beautiful sentiment it does not help much when you are in the midst of struggling with doubt. I trust God but I still experience a lot anxiety about money, resentment against injustice and frustration with the lack of clarity of my purpose. Can you relate? Have you had moments in your life where you believe in God's existence but have a hard time praying or asking him for guidance because something you've experienced leaves you doubting His power, His grace, His goodness or even maybe His existence all together?

When we hold on, for dear life, to doctrines or belief systems that don't answer life questions it leaves us superficial, full of doubt or anger, and stuck with weak and unstable convictions. Romans 8: 28,"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose". Everything that we experience in life can become good and purposeful, even doubt or any emotion that we deem as negative. Doubt happens when we hit a wall, when something happens that our beliefs tell us was impossible. Let's say that you belief that God loves good people and will protect them from harm. What happens when someone you know and love is tragically killed? You hit a wall. You ask yourself if God protects every good person then there are only two choices: either that person was not good or God does not exist.  People are meant to have experiences like these in order to grow in faith, wisdom and discernment. As people mature they gain a new perspective that will help them deal better handle new experciences. A new perspective comes when you allow yourself to doubt.  Doubting leads to asking new questions.  The answers don't always come right away but if you stay persistent you will find what you are looking for.

People have said don't put God in a box. It is so easy to believ that you know everything you need to know about God.  You may want to believe that it is imporant to know everything that he knows, or why He does what He does. Our comprehension of God is limited but becomes more profound with each related excperience. When you feel like God's ethics, power, or existence are questionabl, spend time with Him: in prayer, learning to love people more deeply and getting in touch with your own soul and spirit. The more time you spend with Him the more you will understand that though He is stable and dependable he is also flexible. His plan and purpose is different for everyone; but without knowing Him personally it can look as if He doesn't care or shows favoritism.

I went through a somewhat legalist time in my life. I had a long list of can'ts and won'ts that left me spiritually stagnant, insecure and feeling controlled. Allow myself to doubt and asking God some tough question help me to conquer my  spiritual walls now I feel more freedom, gained discernment and a deeper relationship with God. Hitting a wall never feel good at the time but they are there to keep you safe and provide stability: the walls in your house keep out most thieves, highway walls (or dividers) keep a lot of cars from crashing, and emotional walls keep out people with selfish or abusive.  So if you hit a wall, figure out why it's there; if it is protecting you than you need to change directions,  if it is hinderindg you it's time to for a break through. A breakthrough can lead to more faith and joy than you could have ever imagined, so don't worry if you find yourself doubting your faith; instead fight all the boxes of confinement in your life.

Can you think of a time when doubting something or someone has helped you?

If I Ever Lose My Faith In You

You could say I lost my faith in science and progress
You could say I lost my belief in the holy church
You could say I lost my sense of direction
You could say all of this and worse but

If I ever lose my faith in you
There'd be nothing left for me to do

Some would say I was a lost man in a lost world
You could say I lost my faith in the people on TV
You could say I'd lost my belief in our politicians
They all seemed like game show hosts to me

If I ever lose my faith in you
There'd be nothing left for me to do

I could be lost inside their lies without a trace
But every time I close my eyes I see your face

I never saw no miracle of science
That didn't go from a blessing to a curse
I never saw no military solution
That didn't always end up as something worse but
Let me say this first

If I ever lose my faith in you
There'd be nothing left for me to do

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Related Links:

Jeremiah 17:5-10

Christian faith and overcoming doubt

Overcoming Doubt in Your Faith

Jeremiah 17:5-10

This is what the Lord says:


"Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the Lord. He will be like a bush in the wastelands; he will not see prosperity when it comes. He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives.

Read the entire post on Spiritual Sunday.

Torn Faith

Nathalie Imbruglia - Torn
Uploaded by Yon-Rogg

I thought I saw a man brought to life 

He was warm He came around And he was dignified 

He showed me what it was to cry Well you couldn't be that man I adored

You don't seem to know Or seem to care What your heart is for

I don't know him anymore  

There's nothin' where he used to lie 

My conversation has run dry 

That's what's going on 

Nothings right I'm torn 

I'm all out of faith 

This is how I feel I'm cold and 

I am shamed 

Lying naked on the floor 

Illusion never changed 

Into something real 

I'm wide awake and I can see the perfect sky is torn 

You're a little late 

I'm already torn 

So I guess the fortune tellers right

I should have seen just what was there and not some holy light 

But you crawled beneath my veins And now, 

I don't care I have no luck 

I don't miss it all that much

There's just so many things 

That I can't touch I'm torn  

There's nothin' he used to lie 

My inspiration has run dry 

That's what's going on 

Nothing's right I'm torn 

Chorus 

I think faith is more important than religion. Whatever your faith sometimes you struggle to believe. My spiritual life has been a journey with a few twist and turns and I came out a better person for it. What I have learned is that doubt is there for a reason. I don't think that it is good for you to try to force yourself to believe. Doubt let you ask important questions of your God or the universe, or of science. With persistance you will get the answers you need. 

If you are encouraged by biblical scriptures and you have a bible handy read Luke 4:38-5:11, Luke 22:13-34 and Luke 22:54-63. You will see that even the prophets had doubts at a very significant time. It was difficult for everyone but God's grace is powerful and can change hearts and minds. All I ask is that you give doubt a chance to do it's work, but let faith prove itself to you. 

 

Read Mark 15:33-39

What role, if any, has doubt played in your own spiritual life?