Feeling Small, Examining Beliefs, and Getting Bigger

Last updated on: October 19, 2026 at 11:07 am by Karl J. Forehand

Feeling Small, Examining Beliefs, and Getting Bigger 2026-10-19T11:07:11-06:00 Karl J. Forehand

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

One of my grandfathers, nicknamed “Little Joe,” lived in Lincoln County, Oklahoma, where he was known as the county’s bridge builder. I admired his work ethic and, as a young adult, had the honor of speaking at his funeral. As a child, visits to his farm felt like adventures. When I was old enough to help, he gave me tasks that taught me skills I later used throughout my life.

Many things can make us feel small, and that feeling isn’t always about physical stature. My grandpa Joe, who was about 5’2”, once told me he could easily slip under a barbed-wire fence because of his size. My other grandfather was also shorter than most, yet he found success in different ways. I believe he may have lived with PTSD after World War II, though people did not talk about such things then.

Until recently, few people in my family knew how to cope with feeling small. Like my grandfather with his wartime trauma, we simply avoided talking about what troubled us. I inherited both grandfathers’ names—and some of their generational trauma.

When I found healing later in life, I wanted to share what I had learned, especially with my three children, in hopes that they would pass it on to future generations. I could not explain the solution without telling my whole story. That story includes my life as an agnostic, which challenges my religious roots. I include it because I see those roots as part of the problem.

You may not agree with my conclusions, but I wrote this book for my children and for anyone who suspects that some of what we have learned is not only unhelpful but perhaps untrue. Healing often requires asking difficult questions that may change how we understand life, spirituality, and recovery.

I began writing this book a few years ago after realizing that none of my beliefs, practices, or approaches to life had value if they could not withstand honest scrutiny.

Just as I have learned to challenge myself, I invite you to live an examined life. We cannot outrun, hide from, or distort the trauma and life-limiting beliefs we inherit from others. Traditions shape us, so it is worth examining whether they are forming us into people we truly want to become.

I hope to release my new book, I Used to Be Small, on November 8, my 62nd birthday!

Progressive Christian

Relationships and Religion

Uncategorized

Previous Post

September 28, 2026

Top 10 Questions I Have for God

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Abuse Addiction Advent adventure Alpha Male Animals Answers Attachment Attitude authenticity Authenticty Authentiicity Awareness being Bible Black Community BLM body awarenss book Books Bravery Bullying Bypassing Certainty Certianty Chamge change children Christianity Christmas Church Comfort community Compaasion Compassion Complementarian Complementarianism Conditioning Consciousness Contemplation Control Conversation Converstations Covid-19 Creation Darkness Death Debate deconstruction demons depression desert Devil Disciples discussion Divine dreams Easter Eclipse Empathy Essence evolution evolve faith fatherhood Fear fiction Flood Focus Focusing Focussing Future Genesis Goals God Gratitude grief growth Guns Hate healing Health Heart Hell Holiday Hypnosis ignorance Improvement infallible Inner Child Integrity Intuition Jesus Jezebel Journey King LGBTQ+ Love MAGA Marriage meditation Men Mercy Message metaphysical Mindfulness Misogyny Mourning Music Mystic mystical Narcissism Nationalism Nature New Year Novel Nutrition Organization other Pain Pandemic parenting Pastors Patriarchy Patriotism Personal Growth Plan Poet poets Police politics Power practice praise Prayer presence pro-life Problem Solving Progress prolife Prophet prophets Purity Culture Purpose Queer Questions Racism Rape Rapture reconstruction Recovery Religion Resolutions Restoration Resurrection Retribution Reviews Root Cause Sanctuary Satan SBC Scripture Seeking Self-Care Self-esteem Seminary Sex Shadow shame social justice social media solitude Spirits Spirituality stillness Story Survivor Thanksgiving Theologians Theology Tradition Trauma travel Trump Uncategorized Unchurching Universe Violence Vision Voice Volunteer Vulnerability War Women Word worship Writing

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who said: "Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come"?

Select your answer to see how you score.

A voice from heaven (or the multitude) An angel Jesus John

Books by This Author Books by The Desert Sanctuary

See All Titles »