Doubt

            Have you heard of the band Twenty One Pilots? If not, you should listen to them, they're really fun. Their last album Blurryface gave us great songs like "Ride" and "Stressed Out" where one was fun and the other was relatable. Personally, my favorite song from that album is "Doubt." For starters, the beat is sick! Every time it starts I want to dance, can't stop my shoulders from moving. The lyrics are catchy and easy to actually sing. More than that, the song has a good meaning to it, and something that can be helpful to Christians.

"Don't forget ab-b-b-b-bout me

Don't forget ab-b-b-b-bout me

Even when I doubt you

I'm no good without you, no, no"

This is the chorus and theme of "Doubt." I think some Christians struggle with admitting that they go through seasons of doubt or struggle with their faith. I don' mean a complete abandonment of your faith, more like having a lot of questions and not sure who or where you can find the answers from. I think the reason a lot of Christians don't talk about it is because they feel shame or that they will be judged. Many carry the idea that if they doubt what they've been taught or if they have questions about something that seems "common sense" in Christianity, their faith isn't strong enough. However, I think these moments are a good opportunity to grow.

            I can understand why there is concern about the status of your faith when you have questions about what the Bible says or if you can take the words of a sermon to heart. But look at this as an opportunity to grow your knowledge of God and His word! You shouldn't just take what you hear as fact because "someone holy insisted" (also from doubt, seriously listen to it!) Take your questions and concerns to the source. Read the Bible to see what it says. Pray to God and wait for revelation. Compare what you've heard in church and read in books to what the main authority of our faith says. It's just like any other subject you would study. If you didn't understand the concept, or wasn't sure if what the teacher said was right, you would go to the textbook to confirm it! I think that if we took this approach instead of guilt, that would be the difference between faith building up and breaking down.

            I can say I've had seasons where I had questions about what I believed and didn't know where to turn because I felt shame. I'm thankful that God put people in my life that let me be in that place of doubt, but also lead me back to God and His word. It's important, as a community, to surround each other with patience and love when they struggle; as Jude 1:22 says, "Be merciful to those who doubt." I'll leave you with one more thought from the song. The last line of the chorus says "even when I doubt you, I'm no good without you," and I think that's important in two ways. One, God is constant. Even in your doubt, He will stay the same, and you will see that His love and grace are like no others in this world. Nothing is as good without Him. Two, in being constant He is waiting. He knows you and loves you and even when you are unsure, He is there to welcome you into his arms and answer your questions. Doubt can be okay, but don't stay there. Search for solutions, lean on the support of loved ones surrounding you and know that God is with you during this time, waiting to ease your doubts.

Also, go check out this song:  https://open.spotify.com/track/57yL3161hUMuw06zzzUCHi

Picture from:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twenty_One_Pilots#/media/File:Twenty_One_Pilots_Vector_Logo.svg