This last week was a stressful one. And in going through that stress I found myself beginning to really doubt many things that I had previously felt really good about. The more I thought about those doubts the more and more I began to really question things and wonder if I had been completely wrong to have ever felt good about them to begin with. I found myself feeling worse until I had myself so confused I wasn’t sure what I felt good about at all anymore.
Tonight as I was thinking through my feelings and my emotions of the week my husband pointed out that before I trust what I was feeling as a result of the stresses I was going through, I should trust what I had known in my heart before the stresses began.
His comments reminded me of a similar quote:
“Doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith.” – Jeffrey R. Holland
When I first heard that quote I had to restate it a few times to myself to try and understand its meaning. The quote was trying to tell me that things in life will often cause us to have doubts. Sometimes doubts are caused by stressful circumstances, sometimes doubts are caused by hurtful things others might say or do in the moment, sometimes doubts are caused by the words someone doesn’t say when you had hoped they would, and sometimes doubts come from having things you hoped for not coming to fruition, and so on and so on… Doubts are always going to come, especially when things are stressful or hard. So the quote is trying to tell us that yes, doubts are going to come – but when they come, rather than letting them cause you to lose faith in something you once knew and felt good about, instead stop and doubt the doubts themselves.
And so after a long week of doubts and starting to believe in my own doubts, I am realizing I need to go back to what I knew and felt good about before all the stresses. I need to change the thoughts going on in my head and point my feelings toward doubting the doubts themselves.
I needed to hear that advice today, so I figured others out there may be going through something similar and would appreciate hearing it to.
Have an amazing start to this new week everyone!
~Amy
3 Comments
This. I am so close to finishing my degree, but the stress of it has had me questioning why I started in the first place and whether it is worth it to finish. I knew what I wanted to achieve when I started, and when I let go of the stress and just focus on the goal, I remember why I am doing it. There’s pain until I get there, but I knew from the beginning it would all be worth it. Thanks for the reminder. 🙂
I have no doubts as far as chosing to move and start over, I’m just doubting everything else. I remember every little detail of my life and i just wish i wouldn’t do that. I’m exhausted. I always know there are things we cannot control but it’s so hard not to let them control us. It makes it so difficult to live, let alone live happy. I’m doubting my everything now, doubts, hopes, dreams all of it.
I need to hear this today. My daughter gave birth to a premature baby. She was only 30 weeks along. Little Ruby, my granddaughter only weigh 3.3 lbs. and sometimes I have doubts that she will be fine in the end. I love this post of yours and I want to thank you so much for sharing.