One of the hardest parts of planting a seed of faith and cultivating and tending to it and coaxing it to grow is that just when we feel like our little plant might just make it, thorns and thistles and weeds of doubt and fear and disbelief pop up faster than we can pluck them up and start to choke the life out of our little plant of faith. If only we had a miracle, some sign from God whose blazing glory of pure truth can eradicate all of our doubts and fears more effectively than even the harshest of weedkillers. Who needs diligence and hard work and the struggle to survive against doubts that seem to be ten times tougher and more resilient than our faith when instead we can just rely on good old fashioned miracles to mercilessly burn away any doubts foolish enough to peek their heads above the soil? But although the truth can be sharper than the two edged sword, relying on signs and miracles to vanquish our doubts is not an effective long-term strategy, especially if we do so at the expense of bothering to put any real effort into making sure that our faith puts down deep enough roots and tall enough branches to be able to weather the occasional seedling of doubt that inches too close and starts stealing resources. As can happen between any pest and pesticide, miracles will only be able to eradicate 99.9% of our doubts. And that 0.1% of doubts will begin to develop an immunity to the signs and wonders that might ordinarily dispel most of our normal questions and concerns. These 0.1% doubts are the ones that can’t be solved with a moment of clarity or a burning in the bosom. These are the thorns in our sides that we can’t seem to get rid of no matter how much we fast and pray and plead with the Lord. These thorns will slowly but surely choke the life out of our faith no matter how many miracles we witness. The only way to survive is to build up our faith until it is strong enough to survive even against those weedkiller resistant doubts that will not go away no matter how many miracles and signs and wonders we pour down upon them. If we can endure the thorns that will not go away no matter what and still manage to grow our faith in the process, then we know that we will be able to keep on enduring all the way to the end, no matter how many miracles or lack thereof are headed our way.
