Doubt

Doubt can be as small as a pebble or a grain of sand, but it can take down the strongest faith. Faith is like a horse. Now I know it isn’t literally like a horse, but metaphorically speaking it can be. For this particular symbolism, let’s say it’s one of those huge Clydesdale work horses. They are incredibly big and strong, but they weren’t always like that. They, like faith, started out young once. Vulnerable and susceptible to many things like disease and injury. Faith starts out much the same way, small and easily destroyed unless taken care of. As the farmer cares for the foal and makes sure it has enough hay and water, so we have to take care of our faith. We need to feed and water it with the Bible, to strengthen it. As the foal grows from a foal to a pony and from a pony to a horse, it needs exercise. Otherwise the animal will become fat and useless. Our faith also needs to be exercised to build up its muscle and strength. We go through trials as our faith exercise.


When that Clydesdale is a foal, and a pebble gets into its hoof, it is hard for that foal to recover. In some cases the foal may be crippled for life because the pebble cause it to stumble and get hurt. When a person’s faith is young and vulnerable, doubt can do the same thing. That faith will come apart easily, for it is not strong enough to hold up against the doubt. When the Clydesdale is bigger, it is harder for the pebble to bring the animal done because the animal has some strength to hold up against the pain and more balance to keep itself from falling. As a full grown horse, the Clydesdale is able to keep going even more so when there is a pebble in its hoof making it hard to walk. So faith that is strong holds up against doubt. But here’s the thing, whether big and strong or small and weak, if let to sit in the horses hoof, a pebble will cripple or kill both. Infection will come and start to destroy the foot. Eventually the animal won’t be able to walk at all until the pebble is removed. Even a faith so strong to move a mountain can be crippled by doubt because instead of removing the doubt and sending it packing, that person allows doubt to follow them around and whisper constantly in their ear. Persistence gets us places, isn't that what we say? The same goes for doubt. If it constantly persists in telling you the 'what ifs', eventually you will start to listen and wonder yourself about the 'what ifs'.


With removal comes pain and building back up of strength. The infection has to be drained and the hoof has to heal. The animal needs special caring for to restore it back to health. So does a crippled faith. A horse will eventually die because it is mortal, but faith is different. If you let doubt sit on that mountain and tell you constantly that you can’t move it, it can kill your faith just as the infection from a pebble can kill the Clydesdale. But faith can be built back up even if it dies. God has the power to bring it back to life, but you will start from the beginning just as a person crippled in a car accident has to start from the beginning with physical therapy.