How Deconstruction Can Help You Find Your Faith

If you haven’t listened to this week’s episode, Cody and I interviewed a few people about their deconstruction stories. We offered the opportunity for these people to be able to be open about their faith and the struggles they may have endured getting there. I absolutely loved hearing everyone’s stories of finding who Jesus truly was to them. However, something that I realized was the loneliness that each person had faced while transitioning. I thought about how so often people feel lonely or fear rejection because they are dealing with some internal issues. I want to be the first to say that fear and doubt is completely normal. Everyone has doubted God at times. Everyone has questioned why it seems like bad things only happen to good people. But we have to break the stigma that if you question your faith that you are going to lose your faith.

Did you know that about 44% of all people go through a major life change that challenges their belief system? This doesn’t just include Christians. So many people go through life from all kinds of different backgrounds and question their upbringing. This can result from issues they see within their religion, societal viewpoints, or even personal convictions. This is where deconstruction comes into play. Deconstruction doesn’t have to be a scary buzzword. In fact, deconstruction can inevitably help you find your faith. Let’s dive into this a little more.

What is Deconstruction?

The practice of deconstruction actually has three different transitional parts:

Construction – basic learned beliefs, ideas, and understandings.
Deconstruction – the pivotal moment where basic beliefs and ideas are challenged and provoked; unlearning.
Reconstruction – development of understanding through a more personal process; relearning.

Based on the stories we heard this week, this transition doesn’t seem to be just a one-time event. Interestingly enough, the transition learning, unlearning, and relearning happens multiple times during our lives. Sometimes deconstruction can be a daily thing. We should never feel ashamed for asking questions or having thoughts of doubt. This is such a normal part of life that we need to embrace more. I feel like if you’re not asking questions enough, you aren’t growing. I think it’s great to go to church and study the bible. However, if you are only taking scripture at face value because a pastor told you to do so, there isn’t a potential for growth. If anything, not asking questions sets you up for failure in the future. Not allowing people to explore their faith and ask questions will stunt someone’s growth.

If we are not allowed to “deconstruct” our faith, we are not allowing ourselves to be vulnerable to the Holy Spirit.

Why We Need to Deconstruct From Time to Time

We can’t just read the bible all the way through once and then call it quits when we finish. Have you ever noticed that we skim over bible verse we’ve heard a million times but one day it jumps out at us and we learn something new about God? That’s kind of like the process of deconstruction. We need to learn new things. We need to ask questions and dive deeper as we grow as individuals. No wonder so many people who go through deconstruction end up walking away from religion completely. We are not allowing people to grow into their fullest potential if we keep them from seeking out information on their own. People are meant to wonder and dive deep into what they believe. And I think this is the beauty of the Gospel. It’s not a one-time event. The Gospel is to challenge us and grow us. Religious people will try to steer you away from asking questions. But Jesus is completely open to our rampant minds. We will offend some people for asking questions. But Jesus is not afraid of questions. He openly accepts them without judgment!

Jesus isn’t scared of you wanting to know more about Him. Deconstruction can help you find your faith because it throws out all of the politics. You can’t lose your faith if you are actively pursuing it.