How to Celebrate Easter When You’re Doubting

Doubt is defined as a feeling of uncertainty, or lacking conviction. The difference in whether we have conviction or not can be seen clearly in the following examples.

In Luke 22:54-62, we see Peter deny Jesus three times, despite his verbal commitment that he would never deny his name. Peter lacked conviction under the pressure of potential punishment. Conviction is that internal ‘push’ that makes us rise up in heart and stand strong despite circumstances.

An example of conviction is David’s response to Goliath acting barbaric toward his people. We read in 1 Samuel 17:34 that David persisted in explaining his gut reaction that he would go and fight the champion Philistine. It was his faith in verse 37 that revealed the source of his conviction and strength. David said, “The Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!”

So we could describe doubt as the absence of conviction, which comes from wavering beliefs about something, and in the case of faith, that something is God.

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In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus tells us “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” The word “weary” comes to mind when thinking about who Jesus was speaking to.

Weary is defined as tiredness, or a reluctance to see or experience any more of something. Some of us are weary of visiting yet another new church, weary from going to church so often, or from day-to-day demands throwing life out of balance, or skewing how we view Christianity in general. I like to refer to people struggling in this way as OTWO’s, or On Their Way Out. They could be on their way out of church, or out of faith altogether.

The point is that Jesus speaks for all of us. Any one of us, at any time, could be an OTWO.

Jesus speaks to all of us because we are all weary. When he says “...you will find rest for your souls,” He was speaking to all of us.

Truth is, we are weary not because we go to church or work or school, but because we come apart from Him in those endeavors. Whether it’s Easter season or not. This is supported all throughout scriptures, but specifically in John 15:5 when Jesus describes us as vines and branches. He teaches us that “apart from Him, we can do nothing.” Then in 1 John 4:19 we read again that we can only love “because He first loved us.”

So, if you’re struggling with doubt this Easter, remember that we are all weary because we all simply need God.

Even if we don’t proclaim that, the need is perpetual. We may not say it directly, but our striving to do more, to make more appearances, to look the part, whatever we are trying to accomplish ourselves, all scream it so passively. We need Him! So how can we get even closer?

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Any doubt has an associated belief issue. We know in 1 Corinthians 13:13 that faith, hope, and love will remain forever, and the greatest of these is love. And if this is true, we can assume that faithful thoughts must be rooted in the idea that the Father of all creation loves us simply because of our hearts.

Many of us get confused when it comes to faith and works. We know from James 2:14-26 that faith without works is dead, but it is a balance of the two that defined Abraham’s righteousness. The posture of the heart is what God sees, and per Hebrews 11:6, it is impossible to please Him without faith.

What we must remember as we seek God is that our works alone cannot generate faith, though it could perfect it. And faith alone will not bring about the results you seek.

That pure seed of faith, the one that can move mountains (Matthew 17:20), activates our heart, which is where God moves us. It changes our approach to things. Not only does it bring us to our feet and propel us forward and firmly with conviction, it puts purpose behind that work. And when our hearts are activated, there He is.

So, if you’re planning to visit a church on Easter only to say you did, you are dealing with doubt.

But if you choose to fight the temptation to stay home, because you wonder if God might meet you in your doubt...prepare to be met! (Matthew 5:8)

If you’re piling up volunteer activities without feeling deeply convicted, beware of burnout. Burnout is often a welcome mat for doubt. But if you are moved by your faith to serve more, you will be filled (Matthew 5:6).

If you are struggling with doubt that threatens to have you ‘on your way out,’ I encourage you to let your heart be seen by God. He can already see it, but He wants you to open it to Him. When you decide for yourself to stop hiding and show him your disappointments, your frustrations, and your doubts, you allow yourself to mourn and be seen by Him. Matthew 5:4 says you will be comforted.

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We have discussed the meaning of doubt, conviction, and weariness. We talked about how we are all weary, and how God is after our heart and not our performance. It seems right to close with a reminder about the meaning of Easter gatherings. Why do we do this year in and year out anyway?

Aside from the beautiful magic of watching our kids, grands, and great-grands hunt Easter eggs, and aside from the wonderful food and the fellowship of those we may not see as often as we would like, we gather because of Jesus.

We gather to remember the life of a wonderful man, who gave his life to teaching us how to connect with the Father, how to stand in faith, and how to love one another. We gather to remember the sacrifice of our Father to make a way for grace so we can be closer to Him, and for the obedience of Jesus to fulfill such a burden.

We gather to remember that the veil is torn, representing the power of relationship over law, and that the tomb is empty, representing the hope that no evil can overcome us when we are connected with the Holy Spirit.

So this Easter, bring your doubt with you. Stand up with it. Feel the full weight of it. Spend time in prayer with God, spend time journaling your actual heart. Withhold nothing! Let nothing stand in your way! Allow your faith to propel you into action.

The Father wants to help you lay your doubts down. You are loved.

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