The Struggle with Doubt

Last Sunday Spencer Burke came to Redeemer and spoke at all three worship gatherings about the struggle with doubt. He showed an interesting video clip called "The Fight that Never Ends," we read from the story of Job, and then he shared a couple of personal stories. Here were the five key questions that we discussed in our small group discussion time during worship...
1. How do you most often deal with your fears? Do you tend more often to be timid when you’re fearful or to show bravado and take risks?
2. In what ways do you try to (or think you can) control God?
3. Do you ever find yourself fighting with God? How would you compare your experience of that with the guy in the video fighting the huge, ancient tree?
4. What do you think of God’s answer to Job out of the storm (whirlwind)? How would you react if God responded that way when you were in the middle of complaining against him?
5. Do you (really) believe that God wants to embrace you even when you’re stinky and goopy? How do you feel when you think about yourself in the position of a helpless child held against God’s chest?

Yes. It seems like whatever position I'm in, that's the most difficult. When I've hurt someone, it seems nearly impossible to be able to go to them and ask for them to give me something I don't deserve-- their understanding and their forgiveness. When I've been hurt or betrayed, it seems incredibly difficult to gather myself together enough to confront the blooming idiot who hurt me. Why would I want to go in for that again? The question lingers...

Do you find it harder to give or receive forgiveness?

This is one of the questions that seemed to be lingering under the surface in our conversations about the "unfinished business" of forgiveness that most of us have on our hands. Where are you on this one? And why do you think that is?