Doubting Thomas
“If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.” Timothy 2:13, [New King James]
Knowledge to Build On
After his death, Jesus returns to His disciples to give them a few more words of encouragement. One disciple that isn’t around when Jesus shows up is Thomas. When his fellow disciples excitedly tell him who was there, he refuses to believe them. He replies, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.” He is forever dubbed “Doubting Thomas”. Even when Thomas is faithless, Jesus shows up and puts his doubts to rest. He lovingly says to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side.”
Life in the Now
I think we’ve all got a bit of the Thomas gene in us. We want to see the proof of things so we know we won’t be let down. At least in my own life, there have been days when I’ve thought, “If You’re up there, prove it.” As much as I’d like to say that Jesus has shown up in the flesh to take my hand, He hasn’t. But nevertheless, He has shown up in one way or another. He comes with a feeling of peace. Or He comes in the form of my friends who bring me joy. Or He comes in the form of my husband saying just the right thing to lift my spirits. He usually shows up, if I just look for Him. Even when we doubt Him or question His goodness, He doesn’t leave us. I’m my biggest critic when I mess up and sin against Him. Sometimes I hear the lie in my head that says, “If you were a better person and had more faith then God would do A, B, or C.” It’s then that I remind myself that He is faithful, even when I am not. Our mistakes, our sins, our doubts...none of it changes His faithfulness to us.
Think About It
Do you ever beat yourself up for not being good enough or not having enough faith?
Talk About It
Father, help us to learn better each day that Your goodness and faithfulness knows no end. Let our hearts understand that we can’t lose your love by our messes and our doubts. Amen.