“[Some] people have a concept of God so fundamentally false that it would be better for them to doubt than to remain devout. The more devout they are, the uglier their faith will become since it is based on a lie. Doubt in such a case is not only highly understandable, it is even a mark of spiritual and intellectual sensitivity to error, for their picture is not of God but an idol.” — God in the Dark: The Assurance of Faith Beyond a Shadow of Doubt by Os Guinness
*****
One of the greatest things my parents have bequeathed to me was permission to doubt–to think for myself.
I grew up in a very legalistic environment — most of it well intentioned — but rift with contradictions.
Being in the ministry, my parents were expected to tow the party line, no questions asked. But I’ll never forget when they began to question anyway. Not in rebellion but in an honest search to discover the will of God for their lives and for those they served in the churches they led.
Time and space does not allow me the time to chronicle their amazing journey but needless to say, their journey also started me on my own journey of questioning and questing and I have been so much better for it.
Trust me, it was not always easy. It is so much easier to swallow the party line and just do what we’re told. But unfortunately that requires putting your brain and heart on the shelf.
The ONE THING for today:
It’s okay to doubt…if it disciplines and directs you to think and act for yourself.
The ONE THING 