"24 Now Thomas (also known as Didymus[a]), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”
But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”
28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed" John 20: 24-29
For Thomas, seeing was believing and that's a lot like me, I often say, "I'm from the Show-Me State. I'll believe it when I see it." Now, of course, this is mostly rolled out when I'm not really believing what I'm hearing. And let's be honest, caution in today's world is not a bad thing. But what about on the spiritual level, what about faith and trust in a divine plan. Even that could be doubted...I mean as mere mortals we have no way of knowing or understanding what this divine grand plan is here on earth.
Lets take a closer look at doubt. Where is it born? Doubt is never born in the sunshine, in the glorious joy filled moments of living. When we are feeling on top of the world we feel blessed and happy and like all is right with the world. Doubt is born in the darkness, in the despair we feel when our world seems to be collapsing, in grief, in the tired feeling we get when we put one foot in front of the other but never seem to really get anywhere.
Where does doubt dwell? Sometimes doubt is a fleeting moment. Passing quickly as our intellectual and emotional selves recover from whatever blow we have taken. Yet at other times, doubt moves in, it sets up house in our head, but more dangerously in our hearts. It seeps from our pores, it clings to our skin like sweat on a hot summer day. We breath it in. Few people go through life avoiding things that allow doubt to take up residency. Deaths, divorce, poverty, war, all manner of human experience can cause a "For rent" sign to flash like a neon light in the darkness.
What feeds doubt? Doubt can move in and dwell in our daily life but it can't "live with us" long unless we feed it. Doubt feeds on despair, on a loss of faith, lack of hope and a belief that we are alone. There are so many life stories that make it easy for us to understand how this could happen. Bad things happen, things that cut into our soul.
So where does that leave one? Drowning in doubt? It brings me to the point in my musing about "doers" Doers keep putting one foot in front of the other. Not only that, doers continue to live life "as if". As if at any moment around the next corner, over the next hill, they will discover and answer to their questions, a solution to their problem. Some may feel this is foolish, but is it more beneficial to "give up"? To let doubt set up house in your soul?
Not only do they don the cloak of "as if" they also take action for themselves and others, be it small or large. They look for the rose among the thorns. They take a small step to work toward feeling better. They unselfishly give to others even while lacking themselves. Giving isn't all material, it can be a smile, a hug, a word of encouragement. By brightening others worlds, they are brightening their own. They continue to allow the light of God to shine into their lives even when the sky they view is dark and ominous. It is a faith that only exists because of their spiritual relationship to God.
Hugs to each of you. May you evict doubt in your lives and be a doer, finding ways to live joyously in this chaotic world.
