“A fracture is a break and is incredibly painful. It’s the kind of pain that will knock the wind out of you. That’s what the deconstruction of your faith will do to you. It knocks the wind out of your faith.”- Lina AbuJamra
In her Preface to Fractured Faith: Finding Your Way Back to God in an Age of Deconstruction, Lina AbuJamra observes that humor sometimes functions as a way to hide the pain. But, Lina stresses, hiding never helps. Therefore, the author stresses, this book is about coming clean with the truth. Also, this book is about all the things that really matter in this life. Things too:
- sacred to rush through
- holy to oversimplify
- precious to laugh hysterically about
Hence, Lina believes, one of two things takes place when Christians ask questions that defy platitudes. Questions that, if left unanswered, gnaw at your soul, leading you down the path of doubt. Lina explains:
“When everything we believe about God begins to crumble, the temptation is to walk away . . . to stop believing. Or the very opposite takes place. Sometimes, when you finally let go of all the clutter you believe about God, you make room for Him in your life again. When you stop long enough for God to reveal Himself to you as He really is and not as you’ve made Him up to be, a slow reconstruction begins.”
Certainly, Lina admits, she still struggles with difficult questions. However, the biggest change the author sees in herself? She’s no longer afraid to ask those hard questions. And she no longer needs to hide.
Thus, Lina proclaims, the very deconstruction of her faith:
- opened her eyes to God
- gave her a taste of His unconditional love and never-ending grace
- rebuilt her inside and out
Today’s question: What circumstances, if any, led to the deconstruction of your faith? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Lean into disruption – a choice”
