When Your Deconstruction Comes At You Like a Shark

A person peacefully fishing using a question mark as bait but a huge shark is about to take the hook. (He's going to catch and release this endangered species.*)

WHEN YOUR DECONSTRUCTION COMES AT YOU LIKE A SHARK

I see some parallels between fishing for fish and fishing for the truth. 

There were times in our deconstruction when it’s like tiny little nibbles. You can tell something is there but there is no clear bite.

Then there are times when it chomps down hard and a fight commences. 

You catch small fish. You catch big fish.

In our deconstruction, we will catch plenty of small fish. These are new discoveries that don’t necessarily rock our world. These could be things like no longer believing in just the King James Version, a 6-day creation, Jonah and the whale, the Flood, the virgin birth, tithing. Stuff like that.

But we will also catch some big fish. These are discoveries that upset everything. This could be things like the inspiration of scripture, the divinity of Jesus, the existence of God, the validity of the church, the authority of your pastor, the supremacy of Christianity over all other religions.

However, these could lead to even bigger issues like patriarchy, racism, feminism, gender and sexuality, colonialism, and so on.

When you catch the big one during your deconstruction, it is like hooking a shark. It feels scary and dangerous and life-threatening. 

Some advice:

BE BRAVE: This is going to be bewildering.
PERSEVERE: Don’t cut the line.
BE PATIENT: Brace yourself for a long fight.
BELIEVE: You can do this.
TRUST: You will land it.
REJOICE: You will be so happy!

*Do not fish for sharks. Even though they are at the top of their food chain, they are endangered because of human activities. I’m only using this as an illustration for how dangerous deconstruction can feel.