Belief: Believe your Belief and Doubt you Doubts

(light cue: dim to 50%)

Eric -- (enters wearing pajamas, robe, slippers, paces, sighs)

(light cue: dim up full)

John -- (enters wearing pajamas, robe, slippers) I thought I heard someone walking around out here. Are you alright?

Eric -- Yeah. I'm... fine.

John -- Do you know what time it is?

Eric -- Yeah. I'm sorry if I woke you.

John -- Are you sure you're alright?

Eric -- Yeah. I had a bad dream. I should know better than to eat something heavy right before bed time.

John -- So, go back to bed. The boogie man won't get you now. (turns to exit)

Eric -- Yeah, sure. Okay.

John -- (turns) Why do I have the feeling you're not really going back to bed?

Eric -- I'll be alright. Don't let me keep you up.

John -- What's the matter? You usually don't have any trouble sleeping. Normally, I could drive the AMTRAK through here and not wake you. What's wrong?

Eric -- Oh, sometimes, when I'm tired or vulnerable, I... I think too hard.

John -- Think too hard... about what?

Eric -- I get doubts.

John -- Doubts about what?

Eric -- Things.

John -- Look. It's three o'clock in the morning. If we play twenty questions, we could be at this till dawn. Could you please just cut to the chase?

Eric -- You're going to think I've gone around the bend.

John -- (crosses arms, huffs)

Eric -- Alright. I'll tell you. In vulnerable moments like these I sometimes, not very often, think about God and my salvation.

John -- And...

Eric -- And I think "what if the skeptics are right"? What if there is no God? What if there is a God, but Jesus wasn't really God? What if there's no Heaven but is a hell?

John -- Whoa! Hold on here? Is this my Bible study leader speaking?

Eric -- You think I've lost it, don't you?

John -- Actually, you've given me hope.

Eric -- What do you mean?

John -- Well, you know I've always looked up to you.

Eric -- Yeah, I've been meaning to talk to you about that. You refer to me as Saint Eric to your friends. I wish you wouldn't do that, especially not now.

John -- ...just when I was about to ask you to give me lessons on walking on water...

Eric -- ...please don't do that.

John -- Hey, I'm sorry, but at last you've given me the courage to admit that sometimes I have doubts too.

Eric -- You do?

John -- Yes.

Eric -- You're not just saying that so I'll feel better and go back to bed?

John -- No. It usually happens to me when I'm alone too long. I start to think that maybe nobody likes me. Maybe God doesn't even like me.

Eric -- You never told me that before.

John -- You never told me that before.

Eric -- Touché'. So, what do you do about it? How do you get rid of your doubt?

John -- You first.

Eric -- Well, I usually work harder. I do more good deeds. I read my Bible more. I pray more, thinking that the Lord will give me more assurance if I work harder for him.

John -- And does that work?

Eric -- Well, sort of. After a few days, the doubt just sort of melts away.

John -- I know why that works.

Eric -- You do?

John -- Sure. But you can save your good deeds and your prayers. You don't get any credit for them anyway when you doubt.

Eric -- Oh, that's right. Anything that's not of faith is sin. But what about the Bible reading?

John -- (tilts head in disgust)

Eric -- Oh, I guess I'm not thinking.

John -- My roommate, Bible study leader of the year, cannot remember James 1:5?

Eric -- "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him." Oh.

John -- When you read your Bible, it reminds you of all the promises that God made and fulfilled right down to the last detail.

Eric -- So, instead of pacing the floor I should be reading my Bible.

John -- Oh, you should read your Bible, alright. But you do that every day anyway. Let me, the NEW Christian on the block, who graduated from the school of hard knocks magna cum loud mouth...

Eric -- ...magna cum loud mouth...

John -- Let me give you a tip that will save you four or five days of misery.

Eric -- Lay it on me.

John -- Your problem in moments like these is that you have everything exactly backward.

Eric -- Backward?

John -- In weak moments, you doubt your beliefs and believe your doubts.

Eric -- Yes, I guess I do.

John -- All you have to do is believe your beliefs and doubt your doubts.

Eric -- Believe my beliefs and doubt my doubts.

John -- Yeah, I assume it took you a long time to arrive at your beliefs and overcome your doubts before you came to a saving faith in Jesus.

Eric -- Yes, I guess it did. I did a lot of thinking before I stepped over the line.

John -- And in your weak moments, you merely forget all the work you went through to believe your beliefs and doubt your doubts. So, the solution is simple. Believe your beliefs and doubt your doubts and go back to bed. (exiting) Good night.

Eric -- (distracted) Good... night. Believe your beliefs and doubt your doubts. Nah, that's way too simple. (yawns, exiting) But it works.

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