Doubt I

Have you ever explored your doubts? I didn’t say believe your doubts, just explore them. After all, where is our proof?–only the word of others. In other words, their beliefs. Social support keeps us believing: if everyone else believes, it must be true. The authority of Scripture also keeps us believing; if we read the Bible daily, then we reinforce our beliefs daily. Because of a writing deadline, I missed my daily time of Bible reading this morning. Today, I don’t doubt any more than yesterday–yet.

Many teen-agers doubt what they’ve believed all their life. For them it’s a part of sorting out what they’ve been taught as against what they believe for themselves. It’s how they grow into adults with convictions of their own.

Where do you share doubts? It takes a safe group to enable us to do that. If we don’t share them, do we magnify our doubts? What a relief to have someone say, “I had those doubts, too.”

Usually we don’t overcome doubt by independent investigation for “answers.” We just drop those doubts and go on to other things, maybe other doubts.

Suffering also draws us into doubt. Next blog we explore Job the Doubter.

About Grose

Gordon Grose loves most to write, speak, and preach on the message of hope from the book of Job. Using drama, video, and PowerPoint, he has preached and presented this message of hope to churches around the country. Grose pastored three congregations 25 years, then served 12 years as a pastoral counselor in a Portland, Oregon counseling clinic. He now serves with Good Samaritan Counseling Services, Beaverton, OR. A graduate of Wheaton College (IL), Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Brandeis University, and Boston University, he comes from a rich and varied background in theological and counseling training. In 2015, Gordon published Tragedy Transformed: How Job's Recovery Can Provide Hope For Yours, a book about turning to Job for hope after tragedy. If you have experienced life challenges or personal tragedy, visit his Transforming Tragedy (gordongrose.com) blog to learn more. TragedyTransformed.com provides a sample of Gordon's speaking as well as an opportunity to purchase copies of his book.
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2 Responses to Doubt I

  1. Judy Blunt says:

    Trails and tribulation do bring to surface doubts we either had never considered or did not know were there. That is one of those good out bad things that happens. When those come to the surface we can then deal with them and hopefully nail down our beliefs according to Scripture.

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