3 Ways You Can Help Loved Ones Who Have Lost Their Faith

As Christians, many of us sometimes leave our faith behind. We leave the Church, and we abandon our belief in God occasionally, and there are many reasons why that happens. However, those of us who have been through that and came out on the other side know that we eventually found some things that helped improve our faith journey. 

However, this can be a bit more difficult when the person who has stopped believing in God, left the Church, or done both is someone else instead of us. Seeing our loved ones struggle in that way can be heartbreaking, and it is perfectly natural (and biblical) for us to want to help them. But the issue there is that we often do not know how to do it without risking pushing them away somehow. But something that might be a relief to anyone in this situation is that there are lots of things they can do to help empower their friends and family who are struggling with their faith journey. 

Pray For Them 

One of the best things someone can do for another person is pray for them, which is encouraged in 1 Timothy 2:1-2, and many other Bible verses. As members of the body of Christ, that is something that we are all called to do, and a cool fact is that we can do it pretty much anywhere and at any time. 

Furthermore, it is something we can do on our own, and it is also something we can ask others to do along with us. Lastly, some of the people whom we can seek out when we would like others to pray for certain things or people are the Saints. 

Share Your “Why” 

Prayer is great, and it is very powerful, but I personally can attest to the fact that a person sharing their own testimony can be powerful as well. I am a convert to the Catholic faith, and I had previously had brief times in my life when I was a part of various Protestant denominations, which then helped lead me to atheism. 

But then something changed. My husband and I had just begun looking into Catholicism, and I found a video of a man I later discovered was Dr. Scott Hahn. In the video, he was delivering a speech on what he experienced the first time he went to Mass, and it gave me chills. While I had just started to leave atheism behind me before that, I was not quite sure I believed in God yet. But watching him talk about that while referencing parts of the Bible played a huge role in giving me the push I needed to become a follower of God again. 

Also, when I think of moments like that, I think about the story of the woman who spoke with Jesus at the well. Once she knew He was the son of God, she gleefully ran to tell others, which resulted in those people meeting Him. If you know of someone who has fallen away from God and the Church, share your “why.” Follow the example of the woman at the well by sharing your story with them. You may not see the fruits of that right away, but the seed will be planted. 

Consider Silence 

Words are extremely important. In fact, the Bible is proof of that, since it is full of things that the Lord has spoken. However, when it comes to someone who is having a rough time, especially as far as their faith goes, being silent is helpful as well. Even though Job’s friends talked a lot later on in the book of Job, there was a period of time when they sat with him in silence. 

Not everyone wants to be preached at when they are already experiencing hardship, and it is important to recognize that. When someone stops believing in God or stops attending Mass for a while but then comes back, one of the things they are likely to remember is that one Christian who just listened to them instead of talking, or did what Job’s friends did and sat with them even when they did not want to speak. Having just one person who makes someone feel loved and heard is sometimes all one really needs when they are going through something hard, like a crisis involving their faith. 

The Bible makes it pretty clear that we are called to help those in need, which can be a struggle at times. However, several of the ways that we can do that are pretty simple. We can pray, we can sit with them in silence (and listen if they want to talk), and we can share our testimonies (or someone else’s that we know of) if it might help them.