When a friend loses faith in God or turns away from their religious community, it can be very painful. It hurts me especially when people in my own church leave during hardships or struggles with their faith.
It can be hard to know what to do or how to help, but you can still be present when a friend or family member loses faith.
Here are some things that have helped me stay strong in my faith.
God is Love
“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. . . if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” 1 John 4:7,11
It can be frustrating when someone loses their faith in God, especially when their reasons don’t make sense to me, or when I feel like I would make different choices.
But it likely won’t help my loved one if their doubts and concerns are only met with anger and judgment from me.
We hear it all the time: God is love. His patience knows no bounds, and His love for us is not conditional. No matter how strong (or weak) our faith gets, God’s love remains the same. Reminding your friend of God’s deep love for them may be a comfort as they face this difficult time.
Ground Yourself
When people close to me are struggling in their faith, it’s that much more important for me to be sure that my own faith is bolstered.
Are you making time for prayer to ground yourself in your faith? Are you able to make it to regular services at your faith community? Do you have people in your place of worship who you regularly talk to about your struggles?
Nurturing your relationship with God and strengthening your ties with people in your faith community will be a great source of strength. It will keep you from feeling as drained as you would feel if you were facing your loved one’s faith struggles without any spiritual support.
Be Yourself
I want to encourage you when it comes to your family member or friend that is losing faith: your friendship can survive these ups and downs.
After all, your friendship has been through a lot before, and you’ve stayed close. It’s important to continue to spend quality time with your friend as you’re able and let them know you care about them.
Don’t forget, they care about you, too. And they value what you bring to the friendship. Keep being yourself and be there for your friend when you can. You can still have fun and you can still have meaningful times together. And of course, staying faithful to your friend will build them up when they need it most.
Faith and friendship can be challenging, but we’re here for you. Talk to a HopeCoach at TheHopeLine when you have questions about belief, relationships, or working through conflict. You can get through this, and you don’t have to do it alone.
Is your friend struggling with feeling worthless? Read my blog, to find out how God views them. HIS love is perfect, unconditional and pure!
