15. Faith and Growth Development (Part Three)

We continue to think about how our young people develop in ways that enable a faith that is meaningful and increasingly robust.

We are examining Westerhoff’s understanding of faith stages and today we deal with the period he labels as “searching faith”.

This is the period that comes closest to temporary independence – the driving question becomes, “Is this what I believe?”

Up to this point relationship and emotion have been the driving forces. I follow the faith of my parents because they love me, and I trust them. I enjoy being part of a like-minded group because I am contributing and growing in community and I have obvious meaning and purpose.

The searching phase becomes something of a quest for certainty; something that can be justified. The faith being searched for needs to satisfy the mind as well as the heart.

This is potentially a concerning phase for parents and teachers. Superficially it appears that our child, or student, is abandoning what once appeared to be a simple but strong faith. Our young person is no longer prepared to take things on face value; all that you thought they held strongly is now being subjected to stringent evaluation. Parents can wrongly assume that this is rebellion against them. It is not.

This is a time for young people to critique the faith of their parents, to question the norms of the community, to validate what is true for their own mind, heart, and life.

Searching for what is true, may include an examination of things that are not true. It may involve our young people looking at other faiths or even examining the value of not having any religious faith.

This period of exploration may seem completely unstable as young people seem to lurch from one ideology to another.

Parents and teachers can panic at this point. We want to find ways to return to the stage where our children agreed with us and were compliant. We apply pressure for them to behave in previous ways. This takes us down the dangerous path of manipulative conformity, whereas the goal is transformation.

Our other response is to leave our children to find themselves – let them freely explore – hopefully they will return to the fold.

This also is an error. We need to assist them in their deep exploration. We need to be available for meaningful conversation; we need to encourage their involvement with other non-parental adults who can help them in their quest. And we need to pray that their journey will lead them to the only One who can satisfy their hearts and minds.

Blessings
Brian