When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.
– Corinthians 13:11-12 (ESV)
We often think of doubt as the enemy of faith. After all, we’re called to believe in God and not doubt, and Jesus did say, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.” We are supposed to be like children and put our full trust in God, right?
It’s so natural for children to say that God is the answer to everything and it is much, much easier to have the simplistic faith of a child in all its innocence (and sometimes naivete). However, when that innocence and steadfast faith meets reality and gets challenged, the simple faith of a child is not enough. Simple all-or-nothing faith can also turn into simple all-or-nothing disbelief.
When prayers aren’t answered and people die, and when the doubts and questions from your lived experiences creep in, it takes much more faith to believe in spite of your doubts than if you had no doubts.
To be able to hold on to the childlike, (at times beautifully illogical) belief that God is real and is for you in spite of your doubts is what increasing and maturing in your faith looks like.
As it says in James 1:2-4,
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
We may have questions that will never be answered and doubts that keep us awake at night. We also have a relationship with a loving God who doesn’t condemn or shame us for our doubts, but patiently walks (or crawls) with us and can handle our questions and doubts.
Cling to Him as you question. He never let me go, and He won’t let you go either.