Faith Funk
Ever been in a funk? Everything in life is fine. You are chugging along nicely. Kids are doing well. Family is in good standings. Your job is moving in the right direction. But, something doesn’t feel right. You can’t pinpoint exactly what is going on. It all just feels a little bit blah.
For the past few weeks, a month really, I have felt like I am in a faith funk. Nothing is wrong. I still believe in God and all His sovereignty. I am still praying, still reading my Bible and going to church. But, I am just not feeling it. There is no mountain top experience or valley to get through; no waiting period. Just a lull in the middle.
“Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 1:13
The LORD replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Exodus 33:14
The lull is a good place.
The lull isn’t to be avoided or feared.
The lull doesn’t mean there is something wrong with you or your faith.
The lull is necessary sometimes.
We all go through a faith funk at some point in this messy journey of life and faith. It happens to all of us; even the best of the best Christian leaders. Too often, these funks. or lulls, in our faith make us feel like we are doing something wrong. That is what the enemy would like us to believe. While I don’t believe the enemy is always the cause of our faith funks, he would love it if we pitched a tent and moved in.
A lull in your faith is an opportunity. I was on a walk the other day and noticed the leaves are starting to quickly fall from the trees. The trees will be barren in no time; branches stark and exposed. As I looked at the trees with their half-barren branches, I thought of me and where I am in my faith journey. Sometimes, these lulls are for a good stripping. God needs to strip us of some things so that new growth can occur. If the trees never lost their leaves, new growth would never poke through. The same is true for our lives. Sometimes we need a stripping so that new growth can emerge.
Through that growth, I feel God is preparing me for something. God is about to reveal something to me and He needs me ready. That means I needed to hit the pause button in all my outward Christian duties and start working on the internal. I don’t live in the pause button. I typically like to press fast forward. As Peter said, I need to prepare my mind for action, keep sober in my spirit letting it settle, rest, and be fed, and get excited for the hope I have in Christ. I need a season of simplicity to prepare me for what is to come.
I also feel like my faith funk is an opportunity for rest. I went hard in the area of Christian service and ministry for a LONG time. I’m talking, I remember birthing babies when I started being (over) committed to church. My body needed rest and my soul needed filling. I needed to be served instead of always the one serving. Let me just say, this is REALLY difficult for me. But, it has been so necessary for my spiritual walk. He knew I needed to be stripped of some of my ministries so that I may be fed.
Don’t be discouraged in the lull. It is purposeful. There is a reason and a plan for this space. I feel like I need to fix it; I need to do something about this funk. But, God is telling me to stop; enjoy this space. He is ever-present in it. He is preparing me. He is giving me rest. The lull is good.
Love & Blessings,
Meg