Of Faith and Doubt.
When we think about the faithful worshipper we swiftly jump to the conclusion that they never have questions, doubts or dry prayer days. Their book of life is all sorted and has been read, digested and enjoyed with no tricky bits to negotiate.
But to claim that we have all the answers, to swear assuredly that we are right and you are wrong is breathtaking in its audacity, inappropriate in its rudeness and just downright dangerous in its self-entitlement.
Any honest God botherer will tell you that there are always doubts, questions and wrestling. Frequently there are days when our prayers are nothing more than authentic tears and passionate fist-shaking.
So if we have given the impression of being smug “know-it-alls” then we have done ourselves a disservice and have cheated others of a wild adventure. A perilous, risky, thrilling ride where we are always learning new things and continuously confessing that we think differently now. Surely when we admit that we haven’t got the answer, we create a void, an opportunity to grow and an experience to relish and enjoy.
Faith and doubt are one package and they need each other. They are on the same single continuum and not at war with each other. The two sides to the single coin. They are forever calling to one another, confronting each other complementing each other.
Nick Cave captured this exquisitely when he said “The tragedy with easy Christianity is that it takes away the adventure we are called to have with God. When all risk and courage are eliminated, so too is the passion and the mystery.”
So give me the adventure and the questions. Give me the colour, the sparkle and the surprises. Give me the doubts and give me the faith.