Have you heard the story about the islander at a time of great hunger who walked to the seashore in search of food? He was too old to climb a coconut tree, so he tried shaking it to get some fruit. An angry monkey tore off some coconuts and hurled them at the man. He dodged them, picked them up, took them home and lived off them for a few days.

Doubts are a bit like those coconuts. They could kill us but they can also be ways to survive and grow. Psychologists tell us that the most important decisions in our lives – what career to follow, who to marry, whether to have a child – are precisely the ones that we never have enough knowledge to make without doubt. This is because we cannot see the future – we will change, our spouse and children will change.

We will suffer distress, anxiety and doubt, whether through physical illness or injury, betrayal or loss of friends or partners, loneliness, mental health issues or serious ethical or many other life decisions. We bring to these life situations all that is in our genetics, upbringing, culture, gifts, education and faith.

Our faith in a God who is good, and desires our good, helps us to know that we are here because of love, and to believe that love will always prevail. We will make mistakes and encounter difficulties, but through these we will learn and grow.

In order to hold the fullness of life which Jesus promises us, we must also learn to live into the doubts, darkness and questions. These often difficult spaces are actually the birthplaces of true growth and love.