Shaken Confidence

Monday 11/20/2017 5:03 AM

When I was younger I thought I had a lot of things figured out. I believed that as I matured in life, and in my faith, things that I didn’t have figured out would come into focus and I would become more knowledgeable about God and the things of God. Boy, was I wrong! It seems that rather than having more knowledge and understanding I am questioning even the things I thought I had figured out. What I thought were simple, black and white issues have become colored with varying shades of gray and the simple answers no longer satisfy the complicated questions.

I find that I often disagree with those in the broader Christian community regarding many issues regarding society and the Christian’s role in seeking the kingdom of God here on earth. This has resulted in my questioning my faith and my own relationship with God. I sometimes despair and wonder if I have wandered from the path that leads to God.

The first verse of John Pratt Green’s hymn When Our Confidence is Shaken provides some hope that God may still be working with me.

When our confidence is shaken

In beliefs we thought secure,

When the spirit in its sickness

Seeks but cannot find a cure,

God is active in the tensions
Of a faith not yet mature.