During this past year, I have been thinking a lot about the relationship between questions, doubt, and hope.   It has certainly been a year full of questions and uncertainty but I at the most unexpected times, I have also been surprised by hope.  I think these three are partners in our growth process.

Sometimes we hear it taught and preached that we should not doubt, and we should not question; we should simply trust and believe.  Honestly, I find many problems with that approach to faith.  Usually when someone takes this approach, they are asking me to trust and believe, not in God, but in their understanding or concept of God.  When I run into people who possess an absolute certainty about who God is and how God works, I find it wise to approach with a healthy skepticism.  Claiming to have all the answers about faith seems to be the opposite of trusting in a God of Mystery.  In Isaiah 55:8-9, God says to the prophet Isaiah: “My thoughts are not your thoughts, my ways are not your ways….As high as the heavens are above the earth, so my ways are beyond your ways, and my thoughts are beyond your thoughts.”  It is easy to create God in our own image, but in this verse humility is encouraged before the mystery of God. Continue reading Doubt, Questions, and Hope →