i am struggling
I am struggling....now what?
Step 1: Don't Panic
Breath deep, trust the Lord, and remember that struggling in our faith is ok - it's part of the process of growth.
Give yourself grace and know that the Savior is doing the same. The Savior understands your feelings, he understands what you need, and he loves you.
Be patient with yourself, and with the process. Each stage of our faith journey lasts different lengths of time. One stage may last years, one may last months, the journey as a whole lasts our entire lives. Be patient - and remember that the Savior is patient too.
Step 2: Hold on to the things you do have faith in.
It is not necessary to know and understand and have faith in all things all at once. The scriptures are very clear that we learn over time, that we grow in faith.
Find the things that you do believe, continue to study those.
Step 3: Remember that others will want you to lose your faith
There are some who, for a wide variety of reasons, enjoy seeing others lose their faith. They may pose a helpers, as friends, and enlightened authorities - but their goal is the same: to help faith fail.
Be wary of these. They will not help you grow closer to God, they will not help your faith. Despite claims to do so.
Step 4: Start working
Faith takes work. Discipleship takes effort. It all takes time.
Decide to try to believe. Faith can't grow with out a place to be planted. Some times we just have to decide to believe for a while, while our little seed of faith works its way to the surface.
Study faithful sources. Any question you have, any concern that plagues you, someone has already gone through it - they have already figured it out - they have already found a faithful position on it. It might take time to find that faithful answer, but when you do it will resonate with you and the Spirit will comfort you.
Avoid critical sources. Some will try and present critical sources as "less biased" or "more objective". This is not the case. No person who spends their time producing material about a religious subject is unbiased.
Those who produce critical information often use just enough fact to look legitimate as they feed falsehoods and deceptions to their audience. They may even present themselves as trying to help others with their faith., however those that follow them far too often lose their faith.The choice between sources is simple: if you study the works of those with faith - you too will find faith; if you study the works of those without faith - you too will lose faith. Both have dealt with the same questions, the same concerns, the same issues - one has come through with faith, and one has not.
Step 5: Remember you are loved by your Father in Heaven, and go back to Step 1.
Other things to remember:
Not everyone will understand: All people are imperfect. Some friends, or family, or even church leaders won't understand your struggle. Just as you give yourself grace and love, give them some also. They may need to grow along with you.
Be aware of the abusive tactics used by those who would tear down your faith: doubt-bombing, twisting, falsification, and many other deceptive tactics can cause emotional and mental stress. These tactics are designed to make it hard to hear and feel the Spirit.
Look to those with faith: The Lord has said that believing on someone else's belief is a spiritual gift. It is OK to lean on the faith of others until your faith can stand on its own.