Playing the 'Doubt Card!'

I got to spend some time yesterday in Morrisville, North Carolina which is about 45 minutes away from our house.  The occasion was my yearly eye exam… although it was more like two years in my case!  I had been to this office before and with its location close to our oldest daughter’s home, it worked out well as Piper got to spend some time with Jamie Joy while I got my eyes checked out.

Well, everything went well until it came time to choose some frames for the sunglasses I wanted to order.  Since my vision was about the same as my last exam, the doctor recommended that I just keep my old pair of glasses and just order the prescription sunglasses she and I had talked about.  I had mentioned to her that driving posed a few difficulties with my current set of glasses.  I seem to be fairly sensitive to the sun’s glare so I find myself constantly switching between my regular sunglasses and my clear prescription glasses as things begin to get fuzzy…only to find myself being bothered by the glare again!  Anybody out there ever find themselves in that dilemma?

So… after trying on multiple styles of sunglasses, I narrowed the chose down to two different frames.  One more on the contemporary side, and the other set leaning toward the traditional classic look, as the gentleman that was helping me described them!  That is when things got tougher.  After going back and forth, back and forth between the two, I finally slumped down in the chair and with great resignation sighed… “Can I just get both of them?”

But that really didn’t sound like a good alternative though, as I didn’t want to pay that much money just because I couldn’t make my mind up!  So I decided it was time to get serious and I uttered up a silent request to the Lord for help, grabbed the contemporary pair and firmly stated, “I’ll take these…” only to change my mind again as the paperwork was being written up and finally deciding on the classic style!

As I drove the short distance to our daughter’s home, I felt content that I had made the right decision.  I also considered the lack of peace that was bouncing around inside of me when I was thinking about both of the frames at the same time.  That got really confusing and at one point I began to doubt my ability to make the right decision and even considered not getting any of them and walking out of the office!

It reminded me of some scriptures I had recently been looking at in James 1:7-8 in the God’s Word © translation.  I really like the practical way that this translation states these verses by saying: “A person who has doubts shouldn’t expect to receive anything form the Lord.  (for) A person who has doubts is thinking about two different things at the same time and can’t make up his mind about anything.”  When doubt started to creep into my mind at the Optometrist office yesterday, I found myself less confident and therefore less able to make the needed decision.

I also find that this is one of the most difficult things that I face on a daily basis as I care for the needs of my wife.  I have become very much aware that the enemy of our souls LOVES to play the ‘doubt card!’  And when I allow doubt to enter into the picture, my faith begins to wane!  What James said is extremely true as it is hard to have strong faith with one’s eyes steadfastly focused on the Word of God while also contemplating the way that your sick loved one looks in her current condition!  I’ve discovered that when I begin to give in and play that game, I lose confidence and start to entertain fear!  And that is definitely an ugly and unsatisfying place to be!  As far as I am concerned… FEAR HAS NO PLACE IN MY HOME!  

So, if you come over to my home to visit and have packed any fear… please leave it on our large covered front porch BEFORE you walk through the door!

And with that thought, I challenge you to analyze your thoughts throughout this weekend and check to see how many different things you might be considering at any given point!  Remember… the Word tells us that if we are trying to think about two (or more) things at once that we’ll never be able to make up our minds about ANYTHING!  

And in that scenario you can’t have any expectations about anything for: Hebrews 11:1 tells us that: “NO EXPECTATION = NO FAITH!  (and without faith it is impossible to please God and/or expect to receive anything from the Lord! – See: Hebrews 11:6 and James 1:7)

 

Have a great weekend!  Focus in on God’s Word and don’t give a thought to anything you see or feel or think that might be contrary to that Word… and as you do, keep asking yourself… “What one truth am I expecting to focus on today?”