Doubts of Confirmation

I don’t know why we are always so surprised and disappointed in our doubts. We are in good company. John the Baptist needed reassurance, Doubting Thomas, James the brother of Jesus, all of Christ’s followers for that matter wallowed in doubts and fears after the crucifixion. Then the physical presence of Jesus or in John’s case a direct word from the physical Jesus reassures. I suspect the desire for physical evidence springs from our origin as a people made for and satisfied by God’s presence. Our roots in the physical should give way to the winds of the Spirit more readily, but they don’t. We incline to the material world. But, once upon a time we thought more highly of Spiritual things.

Much of this life for a Christian strikes me as a walk on the road to Emmaus. We walk along with Jesus at our sides and don’t even know he’s Jesus. This of course has nothing at all to do with the fact that he is still Jesus. Then we find something of the familiar in his words or deeds and are elated at the revelation that he has been with us all along.

Doubting is far from uncommon and seems to me a confirmation that we were made for God’s presence where no dark glass obscures our vision. We will have that someday, when Faith and Hope are no longer needed because we are finally in the presence of the One who satisfies completely.