Ride The Waves

Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. And let perseverance be perfect, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. But if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and he will be given it. But he should ask in faith, not doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed about by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord, since he is a man of two minds, unstable in all his ways. (James 1:1-11)

The author of James makes it appear that those who doubt are of two minds and, therefore, are unstable.  They are like waves of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. I have a different opinion.

Those who doubt likely are in the majority but still hold onto their faith because too much of our faith is simply true.   Those with doubts wrestle with the evil we see in many forms and is found everywhere including in our hearts – our shadow sides.  Doubt is normal and is to be expected.  We all have dry times in our spiritual lives.

James said the testing of our faith produces perseverance.  Therefore, I conclude doubt tests our faith leading to perseverance.   Perseverance is needed for us to deal with life’s trials and tribulations.

Waves have crests and troughs – high and low points.  Such is our faith; however, just as waves persevere, one-after-another breaking on the shore, we do the same; that is, we persevere even when we break.

Doubts are our troughs countered by the crests.   They are a consequence of the winds we experience our lives – those times of testing that make us stronger.   Fortunately, our faith is like a surf board enabling us to ride the waves and to enjoy the excitement and beauty of the waves crashing around us.

Deacon David Pierce