bigger than these

I was listening to Switchfoot's The Beautiful Letdown CD, singing along with the chorus to the song Redemption:

I've got my hand in redemption's side
Whose scars are bigger than these fears of mine.

But something didn't sound right. Had I gotten one of the words wrong? I checked the enclosed lyric sheet and found "doubts" where I had said "fears".

It seems to me that the word "fears" would fit better. We're talking about faith, after all. If faith is a form of trust (and how could it not be?) then it makes sense to say that Christ is bigger than my fears. But doubts?

Maybe I'm just too far removed from the days when I saw doubts as a challenge to my faith. I've learned that doubt can actually strengthen my faith, by forcing me to challenge my assumptions.

On the other hand, I do know many people who react quite differently to doubt. To some people, doubts can bring their faith into question. For them, doubt may be frightening. And now we're back to fear again. No wonder I can't remember the lyrics.

And yet, maybe there is a larger point somewhere in all this. People are different, and we face different challenges to our faith. But we can trust that Christ is bigger than all of the things that might challenge us, whether doubts, fears, worries, or whatever. That's what faith is all about.