When Faith Feels Fragile, Step Back to What You Know
On December 26, 2004, my husband suffered a crisis of faith. That was the day that a devastating tsunami washed over the island nation of Indonesia, triggered by a massive undersea earthquake. A dozen or so countries were ultimately affected, and more than 230,000 people lost their lives. Millions more lost everything except their lives. Still very young in his walk of faith, my husband wondered how a loving God could allow such a thing. The experience could have left him faithless, but instead, it provided him with an opportunity to find a spiritual grounding.
Doubts can creep into our faith, but also our confidence in other areas as well. The newer our faith or confidence, the more difficult it can be to find a place of safety for it. When that happens, we can regain our footing by returning to what we once knew to be true.
The Nature of Doubt vs Faith
Doubt is not, in and of itself, evil. It’s often a necessary part of growth and deep thinking. It allows us to check on the other side of our own argument, and it can help us put the brakes on some reckless actions. We know, however, that the adversary uses Doubt to erode our faith, our confidence, and even our identity. In matters of faith, doubt can feel especially disorienting.
The Practice of “Stepping Back”
When I feel my doubt building into an onset of anxiety, I find a way to “step back” to something I know to be true and real. I return to foundational truths, past experiences, and moments of clarity. If I knew something powerfully and deeply at one time, then I can know it again. It’s a matter of going back to that knowing.
For example, I know that God lives, that Jesus is the Anointed One who wrought the great Atonement that will allow us all to return to live with Heavenly Father one day. I know that Joseph Smith saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ one morning and they had a conversation with him which set in motion the work that would form the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I know these things today with everything that I am, and I can know them again if I ever start to doubt.
The idea is not to avoid growth or change, but to stabilize my thoughts and understanding, so that I can move forward. The form of doubt that Satan uses against us is debilitating. It freezes us in place or compels us backward, so that progress is impossible. That’s his plan, and doubt is a powerful tool in it. Stepping back lets me see clearly that his plan is not the one I want governing my life.
Why Stepping Back Strenthens Faith
Have you ever wondered why we have so many teachings on similar or identical topics? Or why we’re encouraged to memorize scripture passages? Or why we’re advised to read our scriptures over and over? It’s because memory is a powerful spiritual tool. The command to “remember” appears over 300 times throughout our Standard Works. Memory can take over if we train it well enough. By the time we’re adults, most of us can tie our shoes without giving the process a moment’s thought – “muscle memory” takes over for us. Remembering a particular hymn or scripture provides a spiritual grounding.
Stepping back centers the mind on known truths, rather than letting us spiral into the unknown. Think about how easy it is to go down a “rabbit hole” on YouTube or TikTok. We can sit for hours watching whatever the algorithm will think we want next – until something comes up that reminds us that we should be doing something else. That’s what stepping back from our thoughts does. It brings us back to a place where we know something is better than the doubting ideas that are trying to derail us.
Insecurity and crises of faith are like a snowball rolling down a mountain. The snowball gathers snow from the snow in its path, growing larger and heavier with every inch. Doubt works the same way. As we seek to work through our doubts, we very often find information and material that only serves to reinforce the doubt, rather than alleviating it and bolstering our confidence. The doubts attacking our faith and confidence turn into a self-fulfilling prophecy. Stepping back throws a boulder into the path of the snowball, allowing us to see it for what it is – nothing more than tiny snowflakes desperately clinging to each other to maintain relevance.
When to Use This Practice
The best time to figure out how to use the stepping-back method of spiritual grounding is before you need it, but that’s not always possible. During a crisis of faith, you can put it into practice. If the only thing you know is that there is a God, start there.
Another time you can find value in stepping back is when you’re confused by conflicting messages. It helps not only with messages on faith, but other messages as well. Political seasons can produce as much confusion as anything else can, and I found myself stepping back quite a long way to something I knew absolutely. It’s kept me grounded – and sane – through several political elections.
Sometimes, though, you don’t really need a spiritual grounding as much as you need clarity. When you’re feeling emotionally overwhelmed – and if you’re feeling at all overwhelmed in any way, it’s affecting you emotionally – stepping back to what you know to be true can help clear the mud away so you can see how things really are.
It’s Not a Cop-Out
Let’s make sure we understand that we’re talking about spiritual grounding and clarity to help us move forward, not ignore tough questions. It’s a method to help us find an anchor in something firm, so that we can explore without drifting away. We can use the practice of stepping back to a known truth as a temporary stabilizer, not as a permanent hiding place.
Your Turn
Isn’t it a wonderful thing that truth has no shelf life, no expiration date? You have had, at some time, moments of spiritual certainty, and those are worth revisiting. Hopefully, you wrote about them in your journal. Today, I want to invite you to identify one truth you once knew and reflect on it.
What’s one thing you once knew for sure that you can return to when you need it? Drop a comment below the Related Posts section.
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