5 Tips for Growing Your Faith (Even If You Feel Like You're Bad at It)

Hola and welcome back! Let’s just say this up front: faith is weird. I don’t mean that disrespectfully. I mean it’s this deeply personal, invisible, hard-to-measure, ever-changing thing we’re supposed to nurture and grow like it’s a houseplant. Except there’s no sunny window you can stick your faith in and no cute little watering can to keep it thriving. And some days? Some days faith feels more like that sad grocery store orchid I keep buying because “this time I’ll keep it alive.”

But here’s the good news. Growing your faith doesn’t require perfection, expertise, or any level of spiritual athleticism. You don’t need a theology degree or to suddenly become a morning person who journals while the sun rises. If you’re trying? That’s already a big deal. If you’re feeling a little lost but still showing up? Even better. Here are five practical, hopeful, and realistic tips for growing your faith from someone who is 100% still figuring it out, too.

1. Show Up (Even When You Don’t Feel Like It)

There’s this weird thing our brains like to do where we convince ourselves we need to feel “ready” or “inspired” before we do something. Faith doesn’t work like that. You don’t have to wait for the perfect moment, the perfect mood, or the perfect amount of energy. You just have to show up.

Open your Bible even when you’re distracted. Pray even when your thoughts are scattered and your coffee hasn’t kicked in. Go to church even if you’re in a grumpy mood and don’t feel like being around people. Faith grows not in the grand gestures but in the small, daily “I’m here” moments. Think of it like exercise: you don’t get stronger from reading about pushups. You actually have to do them. (And trust me, my upper body SO wishes this wasn’t true.)

2. Ask Your Questions (God’s Not Scared of Them)

Confession: I used to think doubt was a sign I was failing at faith. Like if I had questions or confusion, it meant I was doing something wrong. Turns out, that’s not how this works. Asking questions doesn’t mean you’re weak in your faith. It means you’re paying attention. It means you’re wrestling with it, trying to understand, and that’s where real growth happens.

Ask the hard stuff. Why do bad things happen? Why does God feel silent sometimes? Why can’t I hear Him the way other people seem to? There are no dumb questions when it comes to your faith. Well, unless you count the time I asked if I could just “skip the Old Testament.” Spoiler: you can’t. But we learn.

God isn’t offended by your curiosity. He’s not up there with a red pen grading your theology homework. He invites the questions because He knows that’s how relationship works.

3. Surround Yourself with People Who Build You Up (Not Tear You Down)

Look, this one is tricky because people are… well, people. Even good ones can be complicated. But who you surround yourself with matters. If you’re trying to grow your faith, it helps to have people in your life who encourage that growth. Friends who pray for you. Family who remind you of truth when you forget. Mentors who’ve been through the valleys and can remind you you’re not crazy, you’re just human.

You don’t need to be besties with the entire congregation. You don’t need to suddenly join 14 Bible studies. But having at least a couple of people who will hold you accountable, laugh with you, cry with you, and gently point you back to Jesus when you wander? That’s priceless.

Also, let’s be honest. It’s a lot harder to spiral when you’ve got people who are spiritually steady helping you keep perspective. Or at least sharing memes with you that remind you joy is a fruit of the Spirit, too.

4. Be Patient with Yourself (It’s a Process, Not a Pop Quiz)

If you’re anything like me, you want to “get it” immediately. You want to master something fast, check the box, and move on, feeling accomplished. Faith does not operate on our timelines. It doesn’t care how fast you are. It doesn’t reward rushing.

Growth is slow. Sometimes painfully so. And you know what? It’s going to last for the rest of your soul’s existence. So rest in it. Take comfort in a constant God who loves a changing, evolving, growing soul. Sometimes it feels like you’re not growing at all, but you are. Every prayer you whisper, every scripture you read, every time you choose kindness over convenience- those are the roots going deeper even if you can’t see the results yet.

Give yourself the grace to be a beginner. Give yourself permission to stumble. Nobody starts with perfect faith. Not even the people who write books about it. (In fact, I’m willing to bet the people who write books about it stumbled plenty.)

5. Don’t Compare Your Journey to Someone Else’s

Social media will have you believing everyone else is out here having mountaintop moments with Jesus on a Tuesday morning while you’re still trying to remember where you left your Bible. Trust me, they’re not. Comparison is one of the quickest ways to derail your growth.

Your faith journey is yours. Unique. Personal. Custom-built by God for you. It won’t look like your best friend’s or your sister’s or the influencer who posts aesthetic devotionals next to her color-coded prayer journal. And it’s not supposed to. Think of one person in your life. Think about what your relationship with that person is like. Now, think about the relationship that person has with their mom. Their sister. Their friend. Their neighbor. Their aunt. Their boss. If our individual relationships can vary SO much, then won’t our individual relationships with God also look equally unique?

Focus on your steps, not theirs. Celebrate your progress, not theirs. God’s working on you right where you are, in the middle of your own story. You don’t need to perform for anyone. You just need to keep walking forward, even if some days that walk looks more like a slow, exhausted crawl.

Final Thoughts

Faith isn’t about having it all together. It’s about trusting the One who does. It’s not about performance or perfection. It’s about relationship. It’s about showing up, being honest, and letting God work on you- slowly, patiently, faithfully- even when you feel like you’re getting it wrong more often than you’re getting it right.

One day you’ll look back and realize you’ve come farther than you thought. That the questions brought you closer. That the people who walked with you mattered more than you realized. That the quiet prayers on tired nights counted just as much as the big moments.

And if you’re anything like me, you’ll probably laugh at how long you thought you had to have it all figured out to start growing in the first place.

Spoiler: none of us do. We just keep showing up anyway.

Where can I pray for you? What step can you take today to focus on your relationship with our amazing God?