Where there is doubt, faith

The Prayer of St. Francis has always been very special to me. In a series of entries over the next couple of weeks I plan to break down each line and what it means to me.

"Where there is doubt, faith"

We face doubt nearly every day of our lives. While we often doubt others, it is ourselves whom we doubt the most. We doubt our abilities when it comes to just about everything. If you are one of the lucky few that has a super-strong confidence, I salute you. You go day-in-and-day-out knowing that you can do exactly what you put your mind to. Unfortunately, you are in an even deeper whole than the rest of us. Reason being, at some point you will fail. You will either fail yourself or someone will let you down when it really counts...someone that you can't just cut out of your life. 

There it is...doubt.

While the opposite of doubt in just about every grammar book is "confidence," the author of this prayer takes it out of the tangible and puts it into the intangible...faith. Let's define these three words to examine exactly what we're talking about:

• Doubt: a feeling of uncertainty about the truth, reality, or nature of something.
• Confidence: full trust; belief in the powers, trustworthiness, or reliability of a person or thing
• Faith: belief that is not based on proof

The subtle difference between the last two make all the difference. When you have confidence in something, you have full trust because there is a track record...a history that supports your conviction. When you have faith in something, you need no proof.

I have confidence that I will be able to drive from here to Panera when I'm done to meet with some new friends to discuss the current series at V.C.C. on the Book of Acts: The Jesus Underground. I have this confidence because I've left here before and driven to Tri-County. I know the way and even if I encounter traffic, I know alternate routes.

Looking at the same situation, I have faith that God will get me there safely. Here's the kicker: if I don't arrive safely, and am in an accident or something equally terrible, I know that there is a reason. I have faith not just that God will get me there safely, but that if I don't get there safely, God had other plans for me.

Now, I know that God's not my co-pilot or my Garmin. I know that I still need to be careful and drive just as defensively as ever, but I have faith that, at the end of the night, I will be where God wishes me to be. Hopefully, that is safe in bed, sandwiched between the heated mattress pad, flannel sheets, and the heavy denim comforter.

I don't believe in predestination. I don't believe that God decides how my life will progress and end at the moment I'm born. However, I do know that God has his thumb in the middle of my back, gently steering me, but allowing me to follow my own free will. My faith comes in His steering...I trust his direction. If I doubt where my life is leading me, I pray about it and listen intently. Then, I have faith that my decision is the right one.

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