The new year is here, and it is during this time that many contemplate changes they need to make for a year better than the last. I, too, ponder needed changes, but for me, I wonder how to make my walk with Christ better. Recently, my Bible reading consisted of the book of Luke. It was during this time that God showed me I still had times of doubt that were holding me back. Doubt can become such a stronghold in our lives and cause trust in Christ to disappear. God showed me that doubt is simply a feeling that he gives me the ability to control, when I place my focus on him.
The story of the four fishermen in Luke 5:1-11 teaches us that we are called to be disciples, but it was the action of Simon that made me aware of how doubt could take hold if we lose focus. Jesus tells Simon to let down his net for a catch, and while Simon told Jesus they had fished all night with nothing in return, he cast the net. If you had fished all night with no results, would you be apt to put the net back in the water? Being truthful with myself, I realized that doubt could take hold and I may very likely think, “I have not caught anything all night. Why try again?” This truth led me to ask how many opportunities I have missed due to doubt.
Simon may have had some doubt, but he pushed the doubt aside and followed the lead of Christ. What if we were like Simon and we focused on the leading of Christ versus the what-ifs? Simon was focused on his desire to follow Christ and not the impossible we can view when challenges arise. It was because of Simon’s desire to follow Christ that he went a little deeper and received an abundance of fish, so much that the boats reached their breaking point. Where could Christ carry you if you pushed doubt aside and let him carry you deeper?
Simon allowed Christ to take him to the depths, and great abundance came upon him as he found his true wealth in Christ. He became a fisher of men, as Christ called him to. We must ask ourselves if we are willing to let go of doubt for Christ’s true abundance. Are we willing to push doubt aside and trust Christ? It was a question I had to ask myself. For me, it meant leaving the comfort of what I knew to start all over. While, like Simon, I briefly questioned the direction I was being called to follow, I still followed and trusted. There have been moments and even days when doubt tries to creep back in, but through the trust I choose to hold in Christ, I know he is working out his ultimate plan for my life. My life is full of true wealth in Christ. As this new year begins, I challenge you to push the doubt aside and experience what Christ has for you.
