Dealing with Doubts & (Un)Certainties

 

Forgive the unconventional image to use with the title of this month’s blog, but like all my madcap ideas they occasionally make sense to some people at least. Tomorrow is the feast of St Thomas the Apostle, one of the twelve whose missionary zeal took him it is believed to southern India spreading the Gospel of Christ before being martyred around 72 AD.  

 But Thomas – sometimes called the twin – is better known from our Bible stories as “Doubting Thomas”, who according to John’s account in his gospel at first refused to believe in the risen Christ, not until that is, he had seen for himself the wounds from the crucifixion on his body. The term doubting Thomas has since entered into popular use to describe those who are reticent or express doubts about things most of us may take for granted. In the same way, scripture has also been the source for describing someone both loyal and trustworthy as our Rock, like St Peter, or zealous like St Paul, after the incident on the Damascus Road for his steadfast and unshakeable belief in the risen Christ where once he had been a persecutor.

 All of us in our lives go through times of doubt and uncertainty. How we deal with them largely depends on our own character, our access to a support network whether pastoral or professional, and our core beliefs and values which as Christians comes through a firm and unshakeable belief in the healing power of the Holy Spirit. It is this healing power which also provides us with life’s greatest certainty: namely, that God through the spirit is watching over us even in the darkest times. “Do not doubt but believe” Jesus said to Thomas, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” John 16: 27,29

 So, back to that wastepaper bin and what it symbolises to us as we grapple with the doubts and (un)certainties in our writing lives. Well for one thing it shows the certainty that persistence pays off - eventually. Alternatively, it could also symbolise the pile of rejection letters or emails we have received perhaps providing the spur to try harder. And hands up those of you who having discarded a previous draft of something you were writing, threw it in the bin because you doubted it was any good before like Thomas, came to believe in its value because you had seen its true worth?

 Each and every emotion we endure as writers in whatever genre we practice our craft, can be found in the round filing cabinet on the floor including the final corrected drafts for those of us who still prefer to proof-read hard copy only. Draft versions of poems, blogs, theological essays, sermons and orders of service, you name it they’ve all ended up in mine. Having overcome his doubts, Thomas took the Gospel of Christ out to wider world, we too have to overcome our own doubts and uncertainties to take our words out to our wider world, that of our readers and critics alike.

 The wastepaper basket – and/or shredder – symbolises our own form of persistence in utilising those talents God has seen fit to bless us with. We should not be reticent in acknowledging our doubts and in some cases fears in our lives but can be certain of the Spirit’s presence in that which we strive to create for his greater glory.    

 Finally, when talking of the certainties of life; every March I find myself receiving royalties from ALCS for published works, to be followed by the guaranteed certainty a month later, that a large portion of them goes to the hosting company maintaining my website. The Lord does indeed giveth and taketh away.

 

Michael Cronogue originally from London now resides in Walsall in West Midlands region of UK. Writer and blogger discussing matters of faith and theology on his website www.michaelcronogue.com