Josiah’s Story: Wrestling with Faith and Expectations
When Faith Feels Far Away
When you first meet Josiah in The BUG Boys: The Great Scavenger Hunt, he’s the boy who keeps his guard up. He’s funny and quick-witted, but you can tell there’s more going on under the surface. He’s grown up surrounded by church, Sunday mornings, youth group, even a brother who recently “got saved.” Everyone’s proud of Jeremy, and they can’t help wondering if Josiah will be next.
The thing is, Josiah’s not sure he wants to be next. He’s not sure he wants to be anything at all when it comes to faith.
Searching for Something Real
That quiet tension sits at the center of his story. It’s not rebellion, it’s weariness. He’s tired of being compared. Tired of people assuming he’s on the same path just because they share a last name. Josiah wants to believe, but he wants it to be real. And sometimes, that means asking hard questions and feeling alone while you search for answers.
When I wrote Josiah, I wanted to capture that honest, uncomfortable middle space between knowing about faith and actually owning it. So many kids grow up hearing the right words, yet they still wonder what they believe deep down. Josiah became my way of showing that those questions aren’t something to hide; they’re part of the journey.
The Quiet One With Deep Questions
He’s not the loudest of the three boys, that’s David. He’s not the strongest, that’s Zeke. Josiah’s story is quieter, more inward. You see it in the way he reacts when people talk about church or when others bring up God. You notice it in how he looks away, how his shoulders tense just a little. He’s thinking, even when he doesn’t say much.
And that’s something I’ve seen in real life, too. There are many kids like Josiah, smart, sensitive, thoughtful, but hesitant to talk about faith because they don’t feel like they fit the mold. They see other kids singing worship songs or raising their hands, and they wonder why it doesn’t come naturally to them. Sometimes adults forget that kids can have spiritual doubts, too.
Why His Story Matters
That’s why Josiah’s story mattered so much to me. I didn’t want him to be the “reluctant believer” trope or the kid who simply comes around by the end of the book. I wanted readers to see a boy who’s learning that God isn’t scared of questions. That faith doesn’t have to look perfect to be real.
In The BUG Boys, Josiah starts to notice faith in small, surprising ways. It’s in how Zeke talks about prayer without forcing it. It’s in how David’s laughter fills heavy moments with light. It’s in the quiet conviction of friends who care more about him than whether he “believes yet.” Those moments chip away at the walls he’s built. They don’t fix everything, but they plant something.
Grace in the Questions
Writing Josiah also reminded me that God works in process, not performance. Sometimes faith grows in the tension between doubt and hope. Sometimes it’s a whisper instead of a shout. And sometimes, like Josiah, we have to walk a few steps behind before we realize God’s been walking beside us all along.
I think a lot of readers, especially boys, need to see that kind of story. A story that says you can love adventure, mess up, laugh, question, and still be seen by God. Josiah doesn’t need to have all the answers. Neither do we. Because in the end, faith isn’t about living up to expectations, it’s about meeting grace where you are.
📖 Discover the book behind the adventure.
Visit the Books page to learn more about The BUG Boys: The Great Scavenger Hunt.
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