Your faith isn’t meant to stay the same forever. It’s meant to grow, shift, and deepen.
I’ve spent years studying faith development frameworks, and The Critical Journey by Janet Hagberg stands out. It’s my favourite framework and it maps six stages of faith we might experience:
First, we discover God – that moment of awe when the divine becomes real. Then we learn about God through teachers and community. Soon we’re doing things for God, finding purpose in service.
But then something breaks. The certainty crumbles. The recipes stop working. God seems distant. This is the inward journey – what some call deconstruction. It’s not the end; it’s the middle.
Through surrender (not striving), we find a different kind of faith. Not better, just deeper. Like roots growing down instead of branches reaching up.
The final stages aren’t about knowing more or doing more. They’re about loving more. About seeing God in all things, even (especially) the painful parts.
I promise you, when you see and understand this journey, you will see lives differently. And chances are, you’ll be equipped to be more understanding, compassionate, and patient with yourself and others.
I cover this topic in the latest episode of Terribly Honest with David Tensen (S02E07). Links to resources are in the podcast shownotes.