Growing In Godliness Blog
“A Shattered Foundation”
Categories: Author: Kim Davis, Bearing Fruit Series, Church
A Shattered Foundation
By Kim Davis
Men I once considered wise and good,
Women I once watched as examples,
Christians who I held close to my heart,
It’s strange how people change and tear us apart.
A church once united, steadfast, and full of love;
One, surely God smiled upon from above.
Now I feel I can say with a great deal of ease,
That Satan is the one who is ever so pleased.
These words are an excerpt from a poem called “A Shattered Foundation,” written in September of 1988. I was nineteen years old when these words were penned as I was attempting to process the division that occurred earlier that year at the church where I worshipped with my family.
I frequently revisit memories of that church as I have continually tried to diagnose where things went so wrong. Based on the memories of my nineteen-year-old mind, the church was active and vibrant. Individuals were experiencing spiritual growth. The church was full of loving people across all age groups totaling about two hundred souls.
Talented and truthful preachers and teachers were present, the bible classes were full, the teenagers were active at services and outside of the building, and many families gathered regularly in one another’s homes to build and develop deeper relationships.
This was my tribe, my family. When I was in the building among the brothers and sisters, it was just like being at home, totally comfortable and unguarded. When the division hit, it forever changed me and every member there. Some rebounded and others regressed. Personally, I was devastated, shocked, lost, and spiritually and mentally paralyzed for a period of about fifteen years. My foundation was shattered and my world turned upside down at a formative time in my life.
Outside of my experience, the impact of division was far-reaching for all ages. New converts quickly became like the seed on thorny ground. Young teenagers lost their friends as families scattered. Mature, middle-aged couples who seemingly had a solid faith fell into denominational doctrines. Sons and daughters witnessed men slinging accusations toward their parents, and their perceptions of “Christian” ways were forever tarnished to the point where they no longer wanted to be affiliated with such a group.
Families were uprooted as they traveled around the area looking for another congregation where they could recover, re-engage and re-establish a support system rooted in Christ’s teachings. The recovery period for such a traumatic event can be lengthy especially when the relationships are ten, twenty or thirty plus years deep. It’s difficult to basically start over. It takes years to build new relationships and develop the same level of trust, especially after feeling betrayed by other Christians.
You may be wondering why I’m sharing this with you. The positive attributes of the church described above may sound familiar in many aspects. There is some paranoia present in me that wants to fire off an alert for my brothers and sisters to continue to safeguard and preserve the unity in their church family by remembering three simple things.
First, unfortunately church division is not a unique scenario. There may be new brothers and sisters sitting in the pews among you who have shattered foundations. They should be welcomed with open hearts and an offering of grace and comfort as they find their place within their new church family. Perhaps it’s also helpful for them to know there are others among them with a similar experience who understand the anguish in the decisions that led to the necessity of finding a new place to worship.
Secondly, it’s important to remember that even when a local church is flourishing, we can never forget that Satan is always lurking among us, looking for ways to destroy churches. It only takes one disagreement handled improperly to start a division that will have a lasting impact.
Lastly, adults need to understand the downstream impacts that division can have on the entire congregation. It can change the trajectory on someone’s life. While we are all accountable for our own choices and actions, we are also influencing our fellow brothers and sisters in ways we do not always realize.
I’ll close with some thoughts from Romans 12:9-18 “Let love be genuine…love one another with brotherly affection...outdo one another in showing honor...rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality…bless those who persecute you…live in harmony with one another...repay no one evil for evil...give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all…live peaceably with all.”
