Wrestling with Faith

Life in Relationship

Topic: Where do I turn if I’m wrestling with my faith?

Intro: special guest Tanner Olson, Written to Speak, the poetry master

1. Wrestling can be scary, but healthy

• Can feel like a journey, a battle, a dessert, normalcy, mediocrity
• Common Questions: Is God still who He says He is? Is God still close to me?
• Validating your questions and feelings goes a long way in making wrestling feel safer
• Keep talking to God – step toward relationship and revelation, getting to know God rather than always answering the whys

2. Wrestling can bring growth and depth of faith

• Find people you can talk to about the questions and wrestlings
• Making peace with wrestling as part of the faith process

Research studies reveal wrestling as a widely experienced phenomenon:

Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2839364/

Barna - https://www.barna.com/research/two-thirds-christians-face-doubt/

Study of Islam - https://yaqeeninstitute.org/read/paper/what-causes-muslims-to-doubt-islam-a-quantitative-analysis (Yaqeen Instititute for Islamic Research)

• Predominate themes in wrestling:

moral and social concerns, philosophical and scientific concerns, personal trauma

• There is nothing wrong with you and sometimes it’s hard to see we are loved, forgiven, free, etc.

3. Everyone’s relationship with God looks different

• We can rest in what we do know – “I know how this story ends”
• Faith looks different in different seasons of life
• Value of silence and stillness (Walk a Little Slower: pg. 104)
• Wrestling in the daily walk (Walk a Little Slower: pg. 52)
• Sometimes we think, sometimes we are invited to just be, sometimes we wait
• What to look for in wrestling companions
• Tanner wisdom: “Let the cheesy things still be true.”

Resources: writtentospeak.com

Tanner’s books -

Walk a Little Slower - https://amzn.to/3IPETu7

As You Go - https://amzn.to/3IMa49A

I’m All Over the Place - https://amzn.to/3KYc0h1

Short Answer: Let yourself be curious and let the cheesy things be true.