Episode 7 - What Real Faith Looks Like (When It Doesn’t Feel Strong)
- Glory & Grit
- 5 days ago
- 6 min read
Show Notes:
Summary
Exploring what faith looks like when it doesn't feel strong, emphasizing the importance of consistency and small moments of faith in everyday life.
Key Topics
The misconception that faith must always feel strong
The importance of consistency in faith
Faith built through small, everyday moments
Trusting what you already know rather than seeking new signs
Continuing to act in faith even when emotions are absent
Takeaways
Faith isn't proven by feelings but by actions.
Consistency keeps us connected to God.
Small, daily acts of faith are powerful.
You don't need to feel strong to keep going.
Faith is often quiet and unnoticed but still strong.
Transcript:
Stephanie: Sometimes your faith is strong and you still feel unsure. Sometimes your faith is strong and you still feel tired. Sometimes your faith is strong and you don't feel much of anything at all.
Hi friends, welcome back to Gloria and Grid, where faith meets real life. If you're new here, I'm Stephanie, and I want to start out by saying, I'm really glad you're here.
Today's episode is going to be a little short one, but I think and I hope that you can still find value in it if you are experiencing this season or know someone that is experiencing this season in life right now.
Last week we talked about those seasons where sometimes it just feels off, where God can feel distant, where things feel quiet, and where you're still showing up, but it doesn't quite feel the same. But today I want to shift just a little bit, not away from the experience, but away from focusing on how it feels. And instead I want to talk about what faith actually looks like when it doesn't feel strong.
Let's talk about it. I think that sometimes we've been given this picture of faith that doesn't always match what real life looks like. We think that faith is supposed to always feel confident, clear, steady, strong. But if we're honest, most of the time, it doesn't feel like that at all. One of the biggest misunderstandings I think we can have is this idea that if our faith is strong, then we feel it. We feel close to God. We feel sure of what we're doing and we feel peace all the time. But real life doesn't always look like that.
Sometimes your faith is strong and you still feel unsure. Sometimes your faith is strong and you still feel tired. Sometimes your faith is strong and you don't feel much of anything at all. That doesn't mean that something is wrong. It just means you're human after all.
Faith doesn't always feel strong, but it can still be steady. So most of our faith isn't built in those big moments that happen in our lives. Moses didn't have strong faith because he parted the Red Sea. Daniel didn't have strong faith because he walked in the lion's den. David didn't have strong faith because he put the rock in a sling. And Noah certainly didn't have strong faith because he built the ark. It's built with those small and repeated moments that we have. It's not usually big, emotional, powerful experiences that shape us. It's the quiet ones, the everyday ones, the ones that don't feel like much at all. When those men did those things, yes it required strong faith, but it wasn't faith that became strong because they did that. It was those little things that they had worked on in their lives every day that led up to that moment and created a very strong and powerful moment for all of us to bear witness of.
It's saying a short prayer when you're tired. It's opening your scriptures even when you feel distracted and your mind is all over the place. It's showing up to church even when again you feel your mind's gonna be distracted, you're not going to be paying attention. And sometimes if we're honest, it can feel a little routine, a little dry. And might leave you with questions like, am I just going through the motions? But here's your thing.
My thumper. Consistency is what keeps you connected even when your emotions don't. I'll say it again. Consistency is what keeps you connected even when your emotions don't.
So not every moment of faith is going to feel meaningful, but that doesn't mean it isn't meaningful. This is something that can really change the way we look at our faith. A lot of times we're waiting for clarity, waiting for confirmation, waiting for a feeling, a sign. We're just waiting for something new, but a lot of the times we already know what's right. We already know how we should treat people, what we should let go of, what we should move toward, and what we should move away from. And in those moments, faith isn't about getting something new. It's about trusting what you've already been given. It's choosing to move forward without needing constant reassurance. It's choosing to move forward. Now, that can feel a little uncomfortable because we wanna know. We wanna know everything. We wanna know where it's going, what it's doing, how do we get there? But sometimes faith looks like I'm going to take the next step because I believe it's right. Even if I don't feel anything confirming it right now. And we dove a little deeper on this one in last week's episode six.
This is where I think a lot of us can get stuck. When things don't feel spiritually strong, we pause, we wait, we think. I'll move forward when I feel better. I'll do more when I feel closer. I'll step out when I feel ready. But faith doesn't actually look like that. Faith looks like continuing your life even when you don't feel strong. And do it with God. Not waiting for feeling, not waiting for everything to line up perfectly. Just continuing. You still go to work. You still take care of your family. You still show up for people. You serve people. And you do what's in front of you. Again, keep pressing forward. You don't have to put your whole life on hold while you wait to feel something.
God is not waiting for a perfect emotional state from you in order to work in your life. And this one's important because I think a lot of us are looking for something that feels big, meaningful, powerful, obvious. But a lot of real faith feels ordinary, quiet, simple, even a little unnoticed. Not big moments, not dramatic shifts, and not overwhelming feelings, just steady. Some of the strongest faith is the kind no one sees. And sometimes even you don't fully see it. You don't have to feel close to God to still be walking with him. Mike Thumper, faith isn't proven by what you feel. It's proven by what you keep doing when you don't feel anything. Faith isn't proven by what you feel. It's proven by what you keep doing when you don't feel anything,
If you're in a season right now where your faith doesn't feel strong, it feels quiet, where it feels a little ordinary, but you're still showing up, you're still trying, you're still choosing to stay, that counts. That matters. That is real faith. Not the loud kind, not the emotional kind, but the steady kind.
I want to leave you with this scripture. It's from Galatians 6, 9. And let us not be weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap if we faint not. And let us not be weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap if not faint. In other words, don't quit. Don't quit. Even if it feels small, even when it feels quiet, even when it doesn't feel strong. Because something is still happening, even if you can't see it yet.
If this episode brought a little encouragement to you today or you know someone who might need it, please share it with them today along with a prayer. I'm your host Stephanie. Thank you for being here with me today. And don't forget, there's a reflection guide available on the website if you want to sit with this a little longer. And remember, glory doesn't come without grit. I'll see you next week.
And just PS, because I'm still sitting with this myself. So I want to say one more thing before I go. If you're in a season where your faith doesn't feel strong, I want you to hear this clearly. You're not behind. You're not doing this wrong. And you're not the only one who has ever felt this way. I think sometimes we look around and we assume that everyone else has it all figured out, like their faith is always feels steady. They always feel close. They always feel strong. And we're the only ones who are struggling in the quietness. But that's just not true. A lot of people are walking through the exact same kind of season. They're just not always talking about it. And if that's where you are, I don't want you to disqualify your faith just because it doesn't feel the way you thought it would. Because faith isn't measured by how it feels in the moment. It's revealed over time by the fact that you stayed, that you kept showing up, that you didn't walk away. So. If all you did today was take one small step, say one short prayer, choose one right thing, that matters more than you think it does. You're doing better than you think you are. Just keep going.
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