I’ve always identified with Thomas. 

Thomas was asked to do what the other disciples didn’t have to do. He had to believe sight unseen. Thomas might be the easiest apostle to relate to because many of us have experienced what it is like to live between faith and doubt. Almost everyone experiences some kind of doubt at some point in their faith journey. It’s part of the faith journey.

Faith is often seen as the opposite of doubt, but that is inaccurate. The opposite of faith is certainty; there is no room for faith where there is certainty. 

Doubt is not the opposite of faith; it is one element of faith. Doubt forces us to rely on God because we don’t have it all figured out. 

In the ninth chapter of Mark’s Gospel, there is the story of a distraught father whose young son is possessed by an evil spirit. The boy's father has asked Jesus to heal his son, and Jesus told him to have faith, and his son would recover. Like the rest of us, the poor fellow had his doubts, so he said, “I’ll do my best, but while you’re attending to my son, please cure my unbelief.” The boy was cured; the father’s faith was strengthened by Jesus, who reminded him, “Everything is possible to one who has faith.”

The most excellent cure for doubt is a good prayer life that includes scripture reading. Ponder God’s word. Let it speak to you and use it to speak to God. Pray to God in the words of the psalms. Enter into the Gospel stories, try to imagine yourself in the reading. Visualize yourself as the person whom you see Jesus healing. Feel his hands rest upon you; hear his words as if they were spoken to you. Don’t read them as you read the morning paper but listen to them as part of your morning prayer. From my experience doing this, I can promise you that God will touch your heart and strengthen your faith.