Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. (Matthew 28:16-17, NIV).
Golf is mentally demanding. Bobby Jones once remarked that golf is played mainly on a five-and-a-half-inch course: the space between your ears. Bob Rotella, a noted golf psychologist, maintains that doubt is one of the most significant bad habits for a golfer. Doubt can be a “killer” on the course.
In our faith walk, it is not unusual for doubt to creep into our spiritual life occasionally. But, unlike in golf, doubt isn’t necessarily a killer. When doubt causes us to look more closely at what we believe and why we believe, it can strengthen our faith and lead to a more robust relationship with Jesus.
We’re not the only folks who experience spiritual doubt. We’ve got some pretty good company. The man Jesus called “the greatest prophet,” John the Baptist, had doubts as he was sitting in prison (“Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” Matthew 11:3). Some of the 11 disciples had doubt even after seeing the resurrected Jesus.
How do we deal with our doubts?
Sometimes, it is important to confront doubt head-on so it doesn’t fester and gnaw at your faith. On other occasions it may take more time for you to work through your doubts. Fortunately for me, I was offered a way handle those situations when more time was necessary.
As I continued my faith journey I could, when necessary, take a bag down, pull out the issue that was troubling me and explore it with him.Shortly after I dedicated my life to Jesus at the age of 41 at a Search Ministries’ breakfast, Jeff Siemon, a former NFL linebacker and a Search Area Director, and I met to talk about my recent commitment to Jesus. Jeff sensed that there was still some reluctance on my part to go “all in.” I told him about my long struggles dealing with the problem of evil and suffering and other “thorny” issues that were still lingering in the back of my mind.
Jeff made a remarkable offer. He asked if I would you be willing to take those doubts and put each one in a bag and place it up on a shelf. As I continued my faith journey I could, when necessary, take a bag down, pull out the issue that was troubling me and explore it with him. Then, once we’d spent time working on it, I could put it back in the bag and up on the shelf until it needed to be taken down again. It sounded reasonable and so I packed up my bags.
As I reflected on his stratagem, I flashed back to when I played chess and learned about the strategy of making a gambit, which was an opening maneuver intended to gain an advantage or bring about a desired result (this was long before Netflix existed and would stream “The Queen’s Gambit”). Jeff played a beautiful gambit that helped me effectively deal with my doubts without sacrificing the underlying desire and need I had to follow Jesus. Jeff and I unpacked many bags from that shelf in the decade to come. Now, the bags are still on the shelf, but they’re mostly gathering dust.
If you’re having doubts about your faith, try the Siemon Gambit. It’s an offer you can’t afford to refuse.
—
Mark “Ole” Olson
January 27, 2021
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The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
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