Eastertime... when we doubt

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.”
~ John 20:25

Doubt is something that we all know a little about. "I doubt it," is part of our every day language. About this time poor Thomas, one of the twelve disciples that Jesus had called, misses the initial return of Jesus with all the others. He basically thinks that the group is pulling something over on him, and he shares that he will only believe when, "I can see his wounds."

Jesus then appears and shows Thomas his wounds, reminding him “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Thomas is the reminder to us that even the disciples continued to have moments where they doubted Jesus. I wish that I could say that I live my faith each day, "without a doubt in the world," but that is not my nature, nor the nature of most of us. Even when I pray, I must admit that sometimes in the back of my mind, even as I am praying for something in particular, there does exist the presence of the words, "I doubt it will happen, but I'm just praying for it any way."

The greatest challenge that we face in a world that is full of doubt, is to proclaim to be the living instruments of Christ in the world today. John writes, "You must see what great love the Father has lavished on us by letting us be called God's children - which is what we are." (1 John 3:1)

We become the presence. We become the source of Christ in the world.

While we all struggle with moments of doubt, we are called to believe. Even after appearing to the disciples, they were then faced with the greatest challenge yet. They had to take what they had experienced into a doubting world, and make them believe.

It is still our challenge today, while remaining in God's grip!

G. Todd Williams (c) 2019