Because you're supposed to.

So the other day I was eating a navajo taco for lunch and I was shooting the breeze with Sam, a 5th-grader.

I asked him what his favorite subject in school was, and he replied, "P.E....Physical Education...or math." I asked him why he liked math (because I sure don't), and he said, "Because you're supposed to!"

I had no reply. All I could do was laugh and accept his answer. I thought about it later and realized that sometimes there doesn't need to be more explanation than that. Sometimes we need to just accept the answers we get. Sometimes when the answer isn't what we expect, we need to just give the benefit of the doubt and trust whoever we're getting answers from.

The benefit of the doubt is that it gets easier and easier to pinpoint. Doubts force us to ask unnecessary questions, and over time that becomes painfully obvious (and annoying). Don't get me wrong, it's perfectly okay to ask questions and wonder and dream.
The benefit of the doubt is that the doubt will get stuck on the little details and get ripped off as we move forward.

The Wall

A friend has felt lately that she's come up against a wall. She has to make a decision, but this proverbial and figurative wall seems to just get in the way of any clarity or helpful information. It makes it hard to know which direction to go. It blocks the view. It's solid. She doesn't know if she should power through it, go around, under, over. Maybe just stay on the side she's already on.

Doubts are like that wall sometimes. They just block out the light and get in the way of our progress.

The benefit of the doubt here is that pushing through that wall will make you stronger and aware of the strength you had the whole time. Searching for a way to get around that wall is a good time to explore yourself and the world around you. Climbing that wall will put you on top and give you a newer broader perspective. The benefit of the doubt is that as we conquer it, it makes us better and stronger than before.

Just as the father of the afflicted child in Mark 9, if we take our doubts to the Lord and ask for His help, He will expand our capabilities and increase our faith.