“I’m open to the idea of God.”
“Well I tried praying, but I don’t know nothing really changed so if He is there he isn’t really listening to me I guess.”
Everyone experiences doubt. In their relationships, outfit decisions, diet choices, and in their religion. Doubt isn’t supposed to be a permanent thing, however, I know way too many people who have decided not to decide. To live in their doubt, and simply just be “open to the idea” of God. Which really just means “I’ll believe in Him when he gives me the miracle I am waiting for in this moment.”
So what’s the cure to doubt? Faith. Uh oh, sound the alarms, how dare I suggest such a simple answer? Oh, well, faith isn’t that easy. I mean, you have to believe that God is for you and wants the best for you and you have to be free of worry by putting it in the care of God’s hands? That’s basically torture, if you ask me.
The most torturous thing you can do, though, is never decide. How can you be truly happy when you aren’t ever sure on the fundamental part of your existence? Like I said, everyone experiences doubt, but when you have doubt and don’t do anything about it, you’re just furthering a life of disappointment. Faith is knowing that He knows best, and when you live always waiting for a sign, you’ll never see it. When you accept that God is there and He is rooting for you, you will experience joy you never imagined compared to when you were trying to balance on the fence.
You may also decide that God doesn’t exist, in which next you’ll need to decide why you’re existing. If you believe you exist solely due to scientific fact and no greater reason, then you could be incredibly dissatisfied leading a life wondering what the greater purpose is.
Faith really isn't that easy. It's constantly battling your doubt and it's a fight you'll keep on fighting. As far as doubt goes, like I said, it is inevitable. But how would this world function if we did not push through those doubts and learn to trust? You would not disagree to say everyone experiences doubt in their romantic relationships, their professional relationships, their friendships, and it goes the same for your relationship with God. If that's true, then we may also agree that when your partner doesn't comfort you the way you wanted, your coworker won't cover your shift, or your friend doesn't text you back within the hour, the first action is not to break up, fire, or end that relationship with that person, so why do we do that to God? Why do we put our trust in people that will countlessly disappoint us but the second we do not think God is giving us what we expect Him to we strike him from our lives? Like every relationship in your life, your relationship with God requires trust, communication, and faith that you're on the same side.
So get off the fence, and stop living in doubt. Stop thinking of God as an idea, and realize that He is real, or be sure that He isn’t. Stop waiting for Him to grant your every wish, because He’s not a genie and He isn't serving you. Stop making excuses as to why you aren’t sure, you’re letting your doubt overtake your life, and your doubt is ultimately the root of all of your disappointments. That doubt makes you believe God is letting you down, or makes you believe you’re letting yourself down. You can't decide about God, because you've let your doubts become your decision. Now this shouldn’t be bad news, the fence is just one small obstacle to unimaginable joy and eternal, unconditional love, and the best news is you have the tool to break down that fence… faith.
Acts 14:15-18 - 15“Friends, why are you doing this? We too are only human, like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them.16In the past, he let all nations go their own way.17Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.”18Even with these words, they had difficulty keeping the crowd from sacrificing to them.
