A Doubting Saint

John 20:24-25 Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!" But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it."

I was recently listening to a sermon about the resurrection and Jesus' appearances to his disciples. I was distracted, when Thomas was referred to as St. Thomas. See, my whole life I had referred to this disciple as doubting Thomas. I knew he was a saint now, but I didn't really think of him that way. Somehow, I felt that his lack of faith in that one moment defined him for eternity.

I didn't see Thomas as God did. See, in God's eyes, our identity is not a combination of all the things we've done in our lives. We are not defined by our actions, but our faith. Until this point, I didn't really focus on the part of the story where Thomas' doubt is transformed into a simple but profound statement of faith, "My Lord and My God!" Thomas cried. Thomas realized that standing before him was the one he wanted to serve his whole life. Standing before him was the one God he had been searching for. Each morning, I should fall to my knees and call out this same creed, uttered not by a doubter, but a saint.

In God's eyes, we're all saints. It makes me happy to think that the labels that stick on me here on earth, will be replaced in heaven. I'll no longer be doubting, wayward, or unsuccessful. Instead I will be a saint, a child of God. In fact, the Bible says that we will even be given a new name, known only to God. All the labels and adjectives that are attached to our earthly name will be gone, replaced by a new, pristine and holy name.

I am so excited for the time that I will be a saint, a child of God, holy. It makes me want to act like that now. If God is eventually going to call me his child, I'd better start behaving. Why wait until eternity to live in his perfection when eternity can start today? I'm not saying I won't make mistakes, in fact, I'll probably make one even before you read this. What I am saying is that God will remember me as he sees me; his child, made perfect through his Son.

Heavenly Father,

I seldom feel like a saint here on earth. I have done so many things that were not in your plan. Looking at my life, a million imperfections glisten like freshly fallen snow in April. And yet, you don't see the imperfection, you see the saint you have made me to be. Lord, help me to be that saint. Give me the will, the words and the way to do your work here on earth. Draw me to you and help me to draw others to you as well. Pull me close. I love you.

Amen