Overcoming Doubts
Have you ever felt you wanted or needed to do something, but you just weren't ready to take on the task?
How did you overcome your doubts and fears? Or did you?
Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted. - Matthew 28:16-17
In today's Gospel reading, Matthew brings us to a point of faith, encountering the risen Jesus, and we are charged with going out into the world to perform our ministry.
But some doubted.
Having doubts is not a bad thing. Yes, it will keep you from committing fully and that will affect the outcome, so it is something we need to overcome, to work through, but with each step we take, we get stronger, closer to the goal, and that validates us, confirming that we are more than our doubts.
It should be reassuring for us to know that some of those who experienced the Resurrection first hand, still had doubts about what they had seen, what they could be and do.
So, when we encounter a our own challenges and bouts with fear or uncertainty, we should take comfort in knowing we are not alone.
The disciples went on to do as Jesus commissioned them. They became the movement that led to us, but that work is not done.
I read yesterday that millennials are leaving the church in alarming numbers.
According to a survey of 35,000 American adults, the percentage of us who call ourselves Christians has dropped by almost 8% in 7 years.
Unaffiliated is the designation for a growing percentage of the population and we see it in our churches on Sundays.
As disciples and followers, we have a task to perform that we may have serious doubts about. We are called to spread the Gospel, to let people know what is so special about our relationship with God through Jesus.
Do we do it? If we do, we are not stemming the tide of those who are being washed away by doubt and disbelief.
This is not about keeping people from changing their faith. It is about filling the hole that exists in their lives with something only God can give.
We can continue to look around on Sunday morning and shake our heads at the emptiness, or we can overcome our own doubts and share with those who don't know just how special and wonderful a relationship with God truly is.
Of course, we have to believe that and live like it is true first.
Maybe that is why the young are leaving. Perhaps they don't see evidence of what we claim to be. Perhaps our faith is only visible for an hour or so a week.
Hmmm.
What can we do about that?
"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations."
More to come...