Reconstruct Your Faith… Don’t Deconstruct Your Faith
One of my daughters asked me if I had seen posts on social media about people “deconstructing” their faith. She’s very concerned. So am I. In case you’re unfamiliar, it is a big thing right now for those who have been hurt by the church to post on social media that they’re “deconstructing their faith.”
I’ve been thinking so much about this since that discussion. Here’s the thing, plain and simple: all of us have at one time or another been hurt by the church. I have, you have, and people we know and love have. However, our faith is not founded in “the church” or the people in the church. Our faith is founded in Jesus Christ. All this reminds me of a story Jesus told in Luke 6:46-49.
One day as crowds gathered around Him, Jesus told a story that illustrates His sense of humor. The story was about two builders. The foolish builder wanted a beachfront property, so he built his house on the sand. The only problem? He hadn’t taken the time to build a foundation. The listeners in the crowd were likely all chuckling at this point in the story. What kind of builder skips the foundation? Then Jesus continued. He told about the wise builder who built his house on a firm foundation.
Jesus’s point is crystal clear, the only rock-solid foundation for your faith is Jesus Christ. Our faith is to be built on Him and His death and resurrection. Any other foundation is shaky!
In the day in which we live, with the pandemic continuing to rage, many in church culture are uptight. People are on edge and as a result, many in churches are getting hurt or disappointed and walking away. They haven’t built their faith in the firm foundation of Jesus Christ and as a result, their faith is crumbling.
How do we continue to build our faith on the rock-solid core of Christ and His message of grace? I believe we move Him back to the center of our lives. Every other aspect of our lives needs to fall in line with Him and His desires. We need to get back to the centrality of Jesus Christ.
Here are just a few simple ways to center your life on Him.
Read the Gospels. If you’ve been hurt by a church or disappointed in the people of the church, read through the gospels. Really dig in deep and analyze Jesus. Consider His claims and how those claims impact your life. It’s possible with all the chaos of the past year – the pandemic, racial riots, political polarization – that you need a refresher course in Jesus. He calls us to follow Him and to lay everything down in favor of Him. He warns us that to follow Him means we must die to self and be resurrected to Him.
Memorize a Few Key Passages. The value of memorizing scripture is huge as far as its faith-building capacity. Memorizing key portions of scripture like Colossians 1:15-17, 2:6-7, will help hold your heart steady. I truly believe whether you’re 18 or 85 the power of memorizing scripture is transformational because God’s Word never returns void. So, strengthen your memorizing muscle and put a bit of effort into building a firm foundation for your faith.
Praise and Worship Jesus Christ for His Character Traits. You will not always like the character traits of the people in your church or those who call themselves “Christians.” Here’s the thing – that’s truly irrelevant. We’re never called to “trust” people in scripture. We’re simply called to love people. We’re called to trust Jesus Christ. He is the only sure foundation for our faith.
Friend, in this time in history where many are apparently ‘deconstructing’ their faith, will you dare to be courageous enough to reconstruct your faith? Build your faith on the firm foundation of Christ. He is the solid rock on which our faith stands. As the song goes, “all other ground is sinking sand.”