This week's TIME magazine has a cover story centering on the newly revealed letters of Mother Teresa that show the doubts which permeated her faith. Coming from such a spiritual and cultural icon, the revelations in those letters have raised a whole host of reactions about spiritual doubts in general and those of Mother Teresa in particular.
To hear of such vulnerable doubts about God and faith from someone like Mother Teresa fills me not with concern, but rather with encouragement. Why? Because we often tend to elevate the spiritual giants among us (think people like Mother Teresa and Billy Graham) as being almost beyond the normal human experience. They seem to exist on a higher spiritual plane far above the earthly existence experienced by the rest of us mere mortals. And yet, this expose reveals a different side of Mother Teresa, a side which invites empathy and understanding. This saintly woman who spent her life ministering to the poor and diseased in India's leper colonies is not unlike us. Moreover, as Dinesh D'Souza suggests, it was Mother Teresa's dark night of the soul which makes her life and legacy that much more inspiring.
So, what do you think about this issue of doubt as it relates to one's faith? And more specifically, how do these latest revelations affect your view of Mother Teresa's own journey of faith? Is there a place for doubt in one's faith, or is that a sign of spiritual weakness?
Whether we want to admit it or not, a great many people have experienced similar doubts, and likely, we too have can affirm that reality in our own lives at tiems. The real question is what do we do with our doubts when they come? Do they lead farther from, or closer to, God? I can understand the former reaction but pray for the latter. 
I can't imagine having faith without doubt. Faith is a choice to both believe and then to act as though the belief is true.
Posted by: Mike Erickson | August 28, 2007 at 11:29 AM