You have probably heard of “The Great Commission” at some point or another. It’s a New Testament story where Jesus met with his disciples after his resurrection and sent them out into the world to teach and disciple the masses. The story usually picks up in Matthew 28:19, “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations …”

However, if we take a couple of steps back and start reading in verse 16, after the disciples learned of Jesus’ resurrection, we see something very interesting: “Then the eleven disciples left for Galilee, going to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him—but some of them doubted!”

What? You mean after all this time – three or so years in the daily company of Jesus – and they still doubted the truth of what they saw?

As silly as that sounds to me (since we have the benefit of the Bible at our fingertips, rather than living the story of Jesus as it’s unfolding), it also gives me comfort that even those closest to Messiah were still sometimes clueless. I’ve gone through periods of time (some more recent than I care to admit) where I have questioned God’s direction for my life, doubted certain instructions that I used to feel totally confident about, and generally felt like a sub-standard disciple. Well, the good news is that we’re in excellent company! Ha!

Not all doubting is bad. Doubt means that you’re still seeking answers, and that’s a good thing. Even under the excellent teaching of a well-respected pastor, you should still seek out the answers in the Bible for yourself, reading and memorizing scriptures to tuck away in your heart. Doubt means that you are still growing and learning, and we should never stop doing either of those things. So, the next time you find yourself in a faith/doubt struggle, use it as fuel to fire you up, instead of letting it bog you down.