I’m convinced crises of faith aren’t a bad thing. I believe each crisis of faith is an opportunity for God to show you something about Him that no one else can see. You just have to survive it. You have to navigate the questions with wisdom and skill.
Here are three things you should do to make sure you come out on the other end with an even stronger faith than before.
1. Don’t let emotions dominate.
Most crises of faith are sparked by emotion. Either a tragedy happens or God does something that catches you off guard. Those things may spark the questions, but they can’t dominate your questions. Don’t let a negative emotion pull you away from your faith.
As much as you can, set the emotions aside and be open to what will come from your questions.
2. Lean into people. Don’t withdraw.
One of the natural things to do when you start questioning your faith is to pull away from the church. Don’t do that. Stay rooted in your community. Even reach out to people and ask your questions. Your pastor and the congregation can lead you to resources and answers to some of your toughest questions. That’s what the community of believers is all about. One part of the body helps the other.
3. Ask God to reveal himself to you.
Finally, you have to realize there are some questions even CS Lewis can’t answer adequately for you. If your crisis of faith is a chance for you to see a side of God nobody else gets to see, nobody else will truly be able to answer your questions. You have to lean on God for that.
Ask God to reveal Himself to you. He might not give you all the answers to all your questions. But God has a way of giving you peace in spite of your questions. Give God a chance to defend His name to you.
You don’t have to be afraid of questioning your faith. It holds up to questioning. Just make sure you’re asking the right questions and you’re giving God a chance to answer them.