But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.
25 And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.
26 And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.
27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.
28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.
29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.
30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.
31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? Matthew 14:24-31
Haven't all of us started out head strong and determined in faith only to sink in doubts after a short time? Many do not want to admit the doubts until they get to the point of a faith crisis. Many others just shelve the doubts since they don't know what to do with them.
For me I had to study them out to come to a better understanding. Rock Waterman helped me stay in the faith and not study my way out of it. Because he stands by whatever doctrine comes from scripture and surprise surprise so much of what we have in modern Mormonism does not have a solid foundation anywhere in scripture.
Doubting your doubts does not answer the questions that gnaw at you, learning more and praying for guidance is what helped me so that is what I'd recommend. I needed to come out the other side and the more I learned about the early history of the Church and its leaders it became a matter of who's side of it I was willing to accept and much of it is unorthodox but it's what works for me and ultimately all of it goes back to faith in Jesus as our Savior.
Many can accept Jesus as our Savior but many cannot and others can accept Jesus but not Joseph Smith and everything that was revealed to him. And that's ok, don't ever accept something because some say you are supposed to and that if your personal revelations disagree with others that doesn't always make you misguided or mean you are led astray.
But for those that have some degree of faith, consistent prayer and meditation can help develop us spiritually. As well as acts of service as in my last post.
Think of the good sides and the bad sides of ourselves and think of them as wolves fighting for control of you. The one who wins is the one you feed. So if we want to be better and more spiritual and develop and nourish our spiritual gifts then we must nourish them with acts and prayers that are deeply spiritual. Sometimes we can lose our faith by simply forgetting to develop it and like an unused muscle our faith atrophies.
Job is one of the best examples in scripture of what it means to really have faith. He had it all, wealth, property, a wife and children. Then Satan came and took it all away and covered Job with sores. Job did have a "why has thou forsaken me" moment but he never lost his faith in The Lord.
Faith is what has gotten me through some of the hardest moments and issues in my life and that has held true for many others as well. It is what keeps you moving through the storm instead of giving up and succumbing to it. It is what kept Peter above water walking towards Jesus. It's what raised Lazarus from the dead, it's what brought back Jesus from His crucifixion. It is stronger than death and it is what we must not only have in The Lord but those close to us as well. It is as important to have faith in those you love. Because those you love are the people that make up your family by blood or bond they are your family.
