Doubt

This is a transcript excerpt taken from one of the opening scenes of “Doubt” – the Movie, © 2008 Miramax Films. and based upon stage and screen play, by John Patrick Shanley. I was so moved by the content of it, I had to share it as my second installment in this blogspot.

Sermon in movie delivered by Oscar winner Philip Seymour Hoffman’s character, “Father Flynn.”

“What do you do when you’re not sure?”

“When President Kennedy was assassinated (just as on the tragic date of 9/11)*, who among us did not experience the most profound disorientation . . . . despair? Which way? . . .What now? What do I say to my kids? What do I tell myself? There was a time of people sitting together . . . bound together by a common feeling of hopelessness. But think of that . . . your bond with your fellow being was your despair. It was a public experience – it was awful! But we were in it together. How much worse is it then for the lone man – the lone woman – stricken by a private calamity? . . . “No one knows I’m sick.” . . . “No one knows I’ve lost my last real friend.” . . . “No one knows I’ve done something wrong.” Imagine the isolation. You see the world as through a window: On one side of the glass – happy, untroubled people, and on the other side . . . you.”

“I want to tell you a story: A cargo ship sank one night. It caught fire and went down. And only this one sailor survived. He found a lifeboat, rigged a sail and, being of a nautical discipline, turned his eyes to the heavens and read the stars. He set a course for his home and, exhausted, fell asleep. Clouds rolled in, and for the next twenty nights, he could no longer see the stars. He thought he was on course, but there was no way to be certain. And as the days rolled on, and the sailor wasted away, he began to have doubts. Had he set his course right? Was he still going on towards his home, or was he horribly lost and doomed to a terrible death? No way to know . . . The message of the constellations . . . had he imagined it because of his desperate circumstance, or had he seen truth once and now had to hold on to it without further reassurance? And I want to say to you . . . . doubt can be a bond as powerful and sustaining as certainty. When you are lost, you are NOT alone.”

*(Parenthetic material added as modern day reference only, and is obviously not a part of the original script.)

Back to Bruce talking now . . . .

The themes of this script obviously possess a depth which may not be captured at first-read. I must admit, I may be stretching the meaning a bit here for sake of application, but these are simply the things I thought about as I viewed the scene and typed the transcript. Though the “theology” of the content of this movie excerpt may be challenged by some, many of the thoughts definitely carry some validity. As believers, we know we are NEVER truly alone. We possess the Holy Spirit of God. However, have you not ever felt lost at times? Not eternally lost, but lost in your direction? Even lost in your sin? Though in your mind you know the debt has been paid . . . in your flesh, you remain in despair for a time. We have been instructed not to doubt, but to believe, but we are indeed fallible beings. Do you ever have doubts? Doubts about what you believe? Doubts about crucial decisions? Certainly, we have been encouraged in scripture to remain close to the Good Shepherd, and that His Spirit will indeed graciously provide us comfort. But I believe it is in community and pure fellowship with one another that we have also been given further opportunity for peace and comfort. To know that others face our same struggles of doubt and uncertainty does not solve our immediate problem or meet our present need. However, it is of a certainty, that it can often bring comfort, while helping to point us in the proper direction, which is to our heavenly Father. The knowledge of this, combined with actual fellowship and wise counsel of friends can bring indescribable joy!

“Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Galations 6:2 – KJV)

What Is a Spiritual Leader?

I suppose my definition of a Spiritual Leader may be a bit different from the norm. In a nutshell, I believe it to be "one who leads with spiritual sensitivity." I do not necessarily think a true spiritual leader necessarily has a superior cognitive knowledge of spiritual things, has more scripture passages memorized, prays longer or more often than the next guy, has a degree hanging on the wall, or even leads a larger number of people to Christ. Those can be wonderful examples of good spiritual behavior, but are not always indicative of possessing qualities of true spiritual leadership. I believe a spiritual leader to be a man or woman who sensitively follows the prompting of the Spirit of God. A person in this category is loyal first to following and loving God, while remaining faithfully sensitive to the calling and prompting of God in their lives. Secondly, they are consistently faithful and sensitive to the needs of others. I struggle daily with these priorities, but do realize them to be the basic starting points of my Christianity and the foundations of my faith in action. The list of those I am acquainted with who also exemplify and live out these priorities is relatively short as well. This philosophy of spiritual leadership basically encompasses the two most important commandments, exemplified perfectly by Jesus: Love God . . . . love others. We are commanded to do these things.

One of the things I have the biggest problem with is the lack of true "community" exemplified in the church, in the Christian workplace, and in my very own life. It is a frustrating thing to have people who have been Christians for a large part of their lives . . . . some deacons . . . some Sunday school teachers . . . .some Christian music industry professionals (imagine that!) and even pastors and staff members I have worked closely with over the years tell me they love me and those around them while, truthfully, rarely seeing them make any sort of ongoing effort to build relationships that move beyond the surface. I am just as guilty in this much of the time. Especially when I realize how little I have even attempted to get to know the neighbors on either side of me, much less pray faithfully for them and work hard enough at gaining the respect from them necessary to speak meaningfully into their lives. I (we) have a lot of work to do . . .

God is not impressed with my prayers, nor my reading through the Bible in a year, nor even how many church services I attend. "To obey is better than sacrifice . . . ." Obedience does not equate to working through a checklist of what has traditionally been accepted as doing what it takes to be a "good man" or a "good woman." The total package requires that we exemplify the love of Christ and walk in that love, serving one another. This is true love and true Spiritual Leadership. At least that is the place we must begin . . . in my opinion. As I type this very article, I am sorely convicted of how much more yielded to Christ I need to be, so that His light of love will shine effectively through this broken, human vessel.

I have NO idea why I chose this topic today. We all have things we want (and often NEED) to express. Sometimes, my heart is so full, and I'm compelled to finally do something about it. Blessings to you for being brave enough to dive into my very first blog! Thanks for reading!

Bruce