I have a friend who can tell you the exact moment he stopped believing. He was ten years old when he realized that the Bible stories he was being taught could not possibly be the kind of true he’d always been told they should be. When I met this friend, he was leading a lively and engaging Bible study. He could say a lot about what he didn’t believe. And yet, this same friend has never stopped seeking, learning, and teaching.
But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened. – Luke 24:11-12 (NRSV)
As Christians, we too often have been taught that if we only believed better, we would hold all the keys to unlock all the doors to all the kingdoms. The behavior of the first disciples does not support this notion, though. Peter heard the direct witness of the women who had stood outside the actual tomb door, and he still didn’t believe them. But his unbelief did not let him rest; it poked at him like an itch he couldn’t quite reach. Pushed by his unbelief, Peter got up, ran, stooped, looked, saw, and then went home again, amazed.
If he had believed, Peter may have stayed safely and quietly at home. If he had believed, he might never have gone out to see for himself. Instead, he let his unbelief pull him forward. Where will you let your unbelief carry you today?
Prayer
Use even our unbelief, as you use every part of us, to compel us forward toward you. Amen.
About the Author
Rev. Jennifer Garrison (formerly Brownell) is a writer, spiritual director and pastor living in the Pacific Northwest. Her published work most recently appeared in the book The Words of Her Mouth: Psalms for the Struggle, available from The Pilgrim Press.