This past week I learned that well known Christian author and speaker, Jen Hatmaker, announced she was out of the church for the time being. In 2020, she announced that she and her husband were divorcing. The next year she stopped attending church. She recently stated, “I’m out of the church right now. I don’t know that I will ever go back, and I don’t know that I will never go back. I grew up under the steeples. My dad was a pastor. I married one at the ripe age of nineteen, and I have always been a part of the machine. I was a leader. I was an organizer. I was a pastor. I don’t even know what church could or would be for me just as a person. My lifelong exposure has left me in a place where I know too much. I have been a part of the problem. So I need a break from the machine.” I was and am concerned when I learned of this, mostly because I can relate.
Pastors and Christian leaders get burned out – a lot! It’s hard to shepherd a congregation or group and practice H-A-L-T (take care of hunger, anger, being lonely or tired) at the same time. I’ve left the church myself at periods in my life, but soon realized that by staying away hindered me from experiencing all God has for me to heal and redeem my pain at the time.
Most recently, our nation was rocked to its core in response to the Minneapolis church shooting. Many people were and are mad at God for allowing something so horrific to occur. What happens here on earth doesn’t change who God is. He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Everyone of us has doubts at some point in their life. I do know that when I’ve doubted God the most is when I didn’t get the answers I wanted and I stopped allowing Him to work in my life, blaming Him for the results.
In juxtaposition, trusting God in all things moves my faith from a cash register religion to a transforming relationship. I’m still a work in progress when it comes to trusting. So I ask myself what keeps me from trusting God with my doubts?
The answer is fear. Fear prevents me from resolving my doubts and locks me in an unhealthy state. As with unbelief, the Bible tells us to bring our fears to God and entrust them to him. Some doubts can be healthy, if it forces me to examine my beliefs, discard false beliefs and base my remaining beliefs on truth. By facing my doubts head on, I can grow stronger in my faith. I’m a take-things-by-the-horn kind of gal, so I can relate to this.
I must constantly remind myself to first seek truth while I continue to work on my trust in God. I will admit my trust grows more when I pray and read the Bible. I try to make this my daily spiritual workout routine (I won’t lie and say I do it every single day, but I am a work in progress). As Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”
As with any decision, if you don’t put your plan into action, nothing will work. We can’t do this alone- we need God’s help to make this choice. The unbelieving/doubting man in Mark 9 repented saying, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” If you do choose to trust God with your doubts, everything changes. You no longer waver but confidently seek truth. Your faith no longer weakens but grows. Trusting God with our doubts is the key to letting doubt truly make us stronger.
Do you want to put your doubts in His hands?
Debby Efurd is co-founder of Cary John Efurd Ministries of Pittsburg, TX. She has been a contributor to Bound for Life and written numerous articles published in LifeNews, Christian Post and the Baptist Standard, and is the author of Go Tell It! Debby can be contacted at caryjohnefurdinistries@gmail.com. Visit her at the Second Mile blog at https://debbyefurd.com.
Tagged: church, fear and worry, trusting God
