Letting the real you out

I had to write a memoir for the first time. A whole page, anything I wanted, something I would look back on and think, "That was so me back then...". I wrote random thoughts that were in my head. Looking back, it was totally me.

We work so hard to be someone we aren't, and sometimes we cover ourself with so many lies, we don't know who we are really underneath. A little burst of random thought, uncensored by the barrier of lies, onto a piece of paper, something readable, keeps you sane.

Try it now. See what your real self is like.

It is also useful in your core beliefs too. Write down what you feel about God. Sometimes our mind is filled with doubts or worries about what we believe in. They crowd around us, hemming us into a corner, not letting us talk back.

I wrote, God is good! He has forgiven me! He loves me! He cares for me! It pulled me back to the reality of the amazingness of God's love. I feel like shouting for joy! Go God! I don't have to make it sound good, he knows what I mean.

Doing this is a good foothold in the midst of a sinking faith. Remember what God has done for you, and try and get that through your barrier of lies. Hopefully, that might free you from your chains.

When in doubt, believe

Everyone has doubts. Everyone has that nagging feeling that what they put their trust in might fail. Everyone has their vulnerable moments, where the supposably solid foundations they were standing on becomes sand.

Doubts are always pulling me down. Slowing me in growing closer to God, and playing with my mind. Fighting them off takes a lot of strength as I try and find the right answer. Sometimes my doubts are useful, to make me think twice. Like when I was thinking of buying another guitar. My doubts said "Do I really need one? Will I ever use it?", and in the end stopped me from making a rash decision.

When it is your core beliefs, doubts become a bit more complicated. Because, what you believe deep inside you will affect how you think about everything. So how you do survive when you are struggling in doubt? Believe.

Believe that you are in God's hands, believe that he will take care of you even in this patch of darkness, and believe God's love that smothers any doubts you might have. Remember the times you were joyful, the times you looked at God as your solid rock, and remember that as a rock, the foundation of God will never turn into sand.

Believing even in doubt might be a paradox, but it is a sure way of getting through those doubting phases. Hope for the day that you can look back at those patches and say "How stupid I was to doubt God back then".