"I want to believe"

I was once trying to encourage one of the faithful to trust God in the midst of a severe trial that she was going through. I gave her numerous references in Scripture to give her hope. I told her of many Saints who endured trials even more severe and that they were able to keep their hope in God. I told her of the work of the Holy Ghost Who helps us to find the strength we need in those difficult times. She was quiet for a moment, so I asked her outright: "do you believe this?" She said, "I want to believe it".

That is certainly better than not wanting to believe it, but that is not true belief. There are many people who know what the Church teaches, and they sincerely want to believe it, but they never actually take the step of faith and put their trust in God. This should make each one of us sit up and take notice. We should be asking ourselves about our own faith (which is a good practice for self-examination). Do we really believe what God says, or do we merely want to believe it?

I would guess that many people who approach the Catholic Church with interest, but never actually join, are doing so because they want to believe what the Church says, but not because they actually do believe it. They are "close to the Kingdom of God", but not yet in it. I strongly encourage you, once you have solidified your own faith, to seek out others who may have these kind of struggles. Let them know of the wonderful works of God, and His promises to do wonderful works for the rest of us as well. It will help to secure your faith, and may even bring a lost soul unto eternal salvation.