Overwhelmed by Doubts!
By Don Gentry
Life is unfair! Personalities are unfair! Have you ever noticed that? Doubt is kind of one of those unfair elements of life. We all face doubts of some sort. If you have never had a doubt about anything then I would venture to say that you are out of touch with reality, you are young, or you have never really been tested by anything and life has gone smoothly for you.
If you are like most mankind, something has happened in your life that has caused you doubt. But not all doubt is equal, nor does each individual handle doubt in the same fashion. You could have a husband and wife married for 30 years, going through the same experiences together, have seen God provide time and time again, yet one of them could be filled full of hope and the other one could be plagued with doubts. Personalities and life circumstances play a huge role in the way we process and manage our doubts.
Doubt can become debilitating and can cause us to make horrible decisions. You can doubt your gifts, talents, dreams, and abilities. You can allow the doubts to creep in – about whether you’re good enough, whether you’ll ever be ready enough, whether you’re lovable or desirable, whether God cares or even if there is a God. Once we entertain these thoughts, doubt easily turns into anxiety, and then you’re off to the races. There’s no stopping it.
Doubt can be driven by personality, or circumstances, but it is almost always driven by choice. When our choices drive us to the point of being overwhelmed, we need to seek appropriate help. It doesn’t always mean counseling because it depends on what we are doubting. We often need an outside perspective. Sometimes a close friend is enough to get our mind right, and sometimes we need to seek professional help.
Ultimately you need to properly diagnose your situation. Doubts are completely normal, but I would encourage you that if you ever find yourself being paralyzed by doubt find someone to help you gain a new perspective. Undealt with doubt can lead us to a very dark place in life.
This Sunday we are going to look at three very distinct types of doubt in our faith. I hope to see you Sunday as we discover how we can better answer the doubts that lurk within our minds!