Navigating Shifting Faith in Chaos

Navigating changing faith is hard enough when life is “normal.” Navigating changing faith in the midst of chaos is something else. Many of the things that are meant to give us security and comfort in our faith traditions (while no longer things we may believe now) can leave a gaping hole when the world is falling apart.

When I was going through the biggest part of my faith shift, I was miserable, but the world was still in one piece. I had an increase of migraine that was pretty debilitating, but I didn’t have to fear nukes wiping out Europe. So, even though my internal world was in shreds, the external world was humming along.

One word that described how I was doing was feeling unmoored. This didn’t happen immediately in my shift, but when I really started to let go of my tradition and some of those deeply held beliefs, I felt unmoored. Like a giant ship out to see with no direction. If I hadn’t found Brew Theology, I’m not sure how I would have gotten through those days. My interfaith community was lifesaving.

If you’ve gone through your deconstruction during these last few years, know that you’re doing something harder than some of us did. Isolation, rising fascism, people fighting for civil rights, neverending pandemic, war in Europe, loss of friends and loved ones, the interruption of ritual and habit, working from home and managing a family, missing friends and family, rising inflation, and job loss and change. Going through faith transition is hard. Going through faith transition during all of this is so much more.

When we are unmoored from what we knew to be true and then the world becomes unmoored, it can be really hard to find our footing. For me, I was dealing with a loss of career, a loss of place, and a changing faith. It was intense. Thinking about doing that now feels overwhelming.

At one point I just didn’t know what to do at all. After years of being told about the importance of my call, with no visible path forward, what was I supposed to do? In my searching, I found a book called What Should I Do With My Life that helped because it told stories of people figuring out what to do with their lives. Some did it by figuring out their purpose and some just started doing something they loved. Not everyone has a calling or clear vision of how to spend their time on earth. But when you leave a space that seems to provide that direction, it can be really difficult to move forward.

So how do we survive this transition in the midst of chaos? We have to keep waking up and doing the things; but some days that’s not enough. I don’t know what will work for you. All our situations are different, but here are some things that have helped me.

1. Grounding — Grounding is the process of rooting yourself on solid ground. Often this imagery includes connecting to the planet. Standing in dirt or grass and feeling connected downward. You can even do this sitting in a chair. You can feel centered by feeling your feet on the floor and the ground underneath. You can do this in a few minutes or extend it out a bit. Taking a few moments to feel physically grounded in your body can also help center your brain and give you a sense of place and connection.
2. Music — I have a weird relationship with music. I missed several decades of it living in CCM land. I’ve had lots of opportunities since then to discover new things and to try new styles of music. I am still one of those people that can get stuck on one good album. So, during this time, I stumbled between different albums that spoke to me. During COVID I would sew masks to Django Reinhardt to keep my mind off other things. Finding some music to journey with you might be helpful.
3. Brain Dump — The thoughts can get overwhelming. Journaling can seem like too much work. So, try a brain dump. Set a timer for 10 minutes and get everything out on paper. No order, no filter, just list everything out. Then, just set it aside or use it to guide setting up tasks. Whatever is easiest.
4. Find a Friend — This can be hard. Many times we lose our social network when we walk away from our church. But, there are people out there that are going through the same thing. Whether you find them in person or online, journeying with someone through this can be helpful.

There are many other things that can help us navigate fragile waters and we’d love to hear what’s working for you in the comments. Just know, you will get through this and you will find a new normal, even though that may seem impossible right now. Your heart will settle even if the world is crazy. Make time to take care of yourself during this journey.

It’s okay to focus on you and be present with yourself.

And for now, it’s okay to let God take care of everyone else.

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