Is there a Cure for Doubt?

Doubt is probably one of the hardest ailments to recover from. It is an ailment that we seem to find in every area of our life. Doubt keeps new dreams from becoming reality, doubt holds back relationships, doubt can easily kill a person’s future. Cambridge Academic Dictionary defines doubt as “a feeling of not knowing what to believe or what to do, or the condition of being uncertain: to be uncertain about something or someone, or to have difficulty believing something.” Or as Emily Thorne states, “Doubt is a disease that infects the mind creating a mistrust of people’s motives and one’s own perceptions. Doubt has the ability to call into questions everything you ever believed about someone and reinforce the darkest suspicions of our inner circle.” Why are we even concerned about doubt, everyone suffers from doubt don’t they? Janet Singer’s article in PsychCentral states, “Doubt is what fuels the fire for OCD (and I believe many other problems), as sufferers feel the need to have total control over everything in their lives. There is no room for doubt or uncertainty. The irony is this quest for control inevitably leads to just the opposite — loss of control over one’s life.”
Every day, I am confronted by students that just cannot bring themselves to believe that they can succeed in school and the world. They have little or no self-esteem, cannot see their self-worth and refuse to believe otherwise. I talk to people at work, in the neighborhood, and at Church that finds it easier to give up and quit than to believe in themselves and cast away the doubt they carry. It seems that we as a society have been told there are “winners” and “loser” for so long that it is hard for anyone to move from the “losers’ bracket to the winners” circle. Historically, our country was where the “losers” came to become “WINNER”. There are thousands of slogans like “Only in America can someone start with nothing and achieve everything.” Karla Hawkins (Oct 2014) In Christian Crier says it well, “Doubt cannot inhabit where faith exists. According to 2 Corinthians 5:7, “…we walk by faith, not by sight.” God calls us to live a life of faith and trust—never doubt!! Disbelief and doubt come from fear, and fear paralyzes, restricts, and prevents us from doing what we need to do. God does not want us to live with any fear whatsoever. Like even a little bit of dirt makes water undrinkable, so one drop of doubt can also make our faith weak and ineffective. In Hebrews 11:1, the author defines it by saying, “…faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Let us try and tell our friends, family members, and associates that having faith is a strength that will carry them far and by just believing in themselves will solve many everyday problems. Many times, thing are not as they seem and with faith, open minds, and patience many unsurmountable issues will become simple obstacles to avoid. There is strength in believing in yourself and God.