It has become hip in some circles to struggle with God’s word, the Church, and matters of faith. These struggles aren’t struggles with God’s word, abusive people in the Church, or matters of faith that require we take a stand to uphold the truth. They have become a way to escape an abusive situation without considering the end product of wandering away. 

These struggles are part of a life of faith. What is missed is God can use the very struggles we are experiencing to deepen our faith, not destroy it.

All of us tend to move away from struggles. It is a human default. The Lord wants us to stay engaged and not miss the opportunity these struggles provide. We can miss those opportunities when we allow foolish choices to determine how we respond to abuse without first inquiring of the Lord.

Paul wrote to Timothy, “Some people have wandered away from the faith by following such foolishness” (I Timothy 6:21). As eternity approaches and our life is slipping away, foolishness will not bring us peace and security. Only God’s truth can make us feel secure, something a foolish abandonment of truth cannot accomplish.

There is an abundance of foolishness taking place within the Church. Lies are being declared as evolved interpretations of truth. God’s created order is being challenged by gross manifestations of human will. Faith is being defined limited to believing only what we can see and control.

Paul’s words about “following such foolishness” define deviating away from the truth causing us to miss the mark. All can be stripped away from us, even our current understanding of God and His Kingdom, but Jesus will remain. If in the stripping way, we are left alone with Jesus, that is a beautiful place to begin a journey of reconstructing our faith. From that place, the Lord will be faithful to help us redefine and rebuild our faith.