Embracing Hard Questions: Helping Kids Navigate Doubt and Strengthen Their Faith – Chuck Black

Wow, that is so incredible.

And it kind of goes back to a little bit about what we talked about last week with this spiritual warfare.

And it's so interesting.

You had spoken last week about know where the enemy is after your kids, right? We got to know.

And it's so interesting how the enemy used doubt in your life to silence you, right? How that doubt, it didn't lead to you walking away completely, which so often it does.

We talked about last week, 80% of kids walk away that are raised in the church.

But this, it silenced you for 14 years.

Just that one moment.

That one question that you just wrestled with, just it caused all of that.

So how has that really shaped the way that you navigate helping young people? Because I know you do, you do, you help, you know, you do a lot of these team talks and talk to kids.

How has that helped you navigate? You're obviously not freaked out when a kid says they doubt, because honestly, a lot of parents completely freak out.

How has your experience helped you navigate kids today?

yeah and thanks for that question too um i think i think the first thing is to and you kind of already mentioned it don't be afraid of doubt you know we doubt it tends to cause us to be um ashamed right and and and so the first thing i did as i started just to to investigate well who else has doubts and so i first turned to the bible and and kind of canvassed the scriptures to find out was there an example of somebody that was doubting in there and there are a lot of examples right even doubting thomas but the probably the most dramatic one in my mind was uh john the baptist um you know he he was before he was even born he left inside elizabeth's womb as as mary approached to tell you know elizabeth that hey i'm I'm with child and it's the Messiah.

And so he was prepared before, before he was even born to prepare the way of the Lord.

And yet, you know, even in, he even recognized Jesus when he came to the Jordan to be baptized, he's behold, the lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.

Then fast forward, where John is now in prison, ready to be beheaded.

And he calls his disciples and, and he says, go ask Jesus if he's really the one, or if we should look for another.

And, And I thought, wow.

I mean, if anybody shouldn't be doubting, it would be John the Baptist.

And that gives me goosebumps because I think we're in good company.

And Jesus handles John just so beautifully.

As John's disciples are there, he actually turns away from them and then does just all kinds of miracles.

And when he's done with those miracles, he turns back to the disciples.

He says, wow.

go tell john again that the lame walk the blind see the dead are revived and the poor have the gospel preach them and and and do not be ashamed of me and and he just he just met john right where he was and and and the lesson from that is you know really is from john what do you do with your doubt take it to the one that can resolve it right and man that was incredible so i was i was at a conference in colorado here a few years back and uh it was about 500 a room that had about 500 parents in it and i said hey i gotta ask you a question how many of you have ever experienced any sort of spiritual doubt ever in your life and every single hand you know 500 hands go up