Are You the One? – Tony Agnesi

When John heard in prison of the works of the Messiah, he sent his disciples to him with this question, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” –Matthew 11:2-3

Doubts, we all have them at times. As Christians, we are embarrassed by our doubt. Is the story of Jesus true? Did he really die for my sins?

Noah had doubts when he built the Ark.

Abraham had doubts when he offered to sacrifice his son Isaac.

Moses had doubts when he led his people across the Red Sea.

David had doubts when he faced Goliath.

We know that Blessed Mother Teresa had doubts, as she wrote about her “dark night of the soul.”

Even John the Baptist, arguably the greatest prophet of the bible asked, Lord, “are you the one who is to come?”

Jesus in Matthew’s gospel said that “among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist,” (Matthew 11:11) yet as John rotted away in prison, even he had doubts.

As we prepare for the coming of Jesus during Advent, we can use this time to read, study, talk to friends who have a strong faith, confess our sins and recommit ourselves to living a Christ-like life.

[pullquote]“Everything is possible to one who has faith.” Then the boy’s father cried out, “I do believe, help my unbelief!”–Mark 9:24-25[/pullquote]

What most people fail to realize is that doubt is not the opposite of faith, disbelief is. Doubt can actually build our faith and be the catalyst for spiritual growth.

Doubt is not sinful and unforgivable. God is big enough to handle all of our questions if we are moving in the direction of faith. It does not indicate a lack of faith, but a desire to have our faith grow.

Here are a few things to remember:

God is kind and merciful. He is patient with us and wants us more than we know. Like the father of the prodigal son, all we need to do is move in his direction and He will rush to greet us!

[pullquote]“So he got up and went back to his father. While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him.” –Luke 15:20[/pullquote]

Our struggles bring new growth in faith. If we are totally free of doubt, we are probably already in heaven! As long as we are moving in the direction of light and not darkness, then, even in our doubt, we are moving closer to God.

In prayer, it’s OK to admit our doubt and tell God how we feel. We can ask God to “help my disbelief.” God will never give up on us. In His compassion and patience, He will wait for us and bless our searching.

Advent is a time to discover a closer and more intimate relationship with our Lord, to confront our doubts and turn them into a stronger, more vibrant faith. Then, we can answer John the Baptists question, “Are you the one?”

On Christmas morning, we can answer with a resounding YES! Jesus, the One, has come into the world, our Savior, born of a virgin in Bethlehem.

Halleluiah!

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