How many times have you doubted yourself – scared to enter that contest, write that story, draw that picture, take that new job, quit the old job, volunteer for that project at work, etc. How many times have you doubted others – their love, their friendship, their loyalty, their ability to carry out a project? How many times have you doubted God – does He hear your prayers, will He take care of that problem, can He really watch over and protect your children, does He even really exist?
Doubt causes fear inside my heart. It shakes my confidence to its very core. Until today. Today I came across something that made me do a 180 in the face of doubt. Robert Browning once said:
“You call for faith: I show you doubt, to prove that faith exists. The more of doubt, the stronger the faith, I say, If faith o’ercomes doubt.”
As I read this it occurred to me that doubt causes action – either physical or mental. How many times have we all said, “Hmmm…,I’ll have to think about that.” That was doubt causing our minds to open up and explore different possibilities. That was doubt pushing us to see our faith exists. I loved this quote and the peace of mind it brought me. Now I view doubt as an exciting new territory to be explored, instead of a fearful, anxious place. I am learning to embrace my doubts, explore them, and let them lead me to a new place in faith. I guess Browning felt that if we walked in blind faith, we’d miss so many roads, with so much to offer. So I say, doubt…yourself, others, God…and see where the unseen road takes you.
And so, as another day goes by, now when doubt enters my mind, I look forward to new horizons, and…I have written.
Camel: the most open, exposed pose there is, says it perfectly….(I’m amazed daily at the messages from the hot room.)
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