Jakob & Suzanne Happs: Why I Walked Away from Faith and How God Brought Me Back: A Prodigal Son's Story of Doubt, Distance, and Redemption: Page 280
The Unfolding
Northwestern Media
4.9 • 867 Ratings
🗓️ 1 May 2026
⏱️ 55 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
What happens inside someone who walks away from faith? For Jakob Happs, it wasn't sudden. Long before he stepped away, there were questions, doubts, and a growing sense that something wasn't working the way he thought it should. Over time, that tension led him further and further from God, and from the people who loved him most.
In this powerful and honest conversation, Jakob shares his story from the inside.
The wrestling, the distance, the decisions that followed, and the unexpected moments that changed everything. Alongside his mom, Suzanne, this episode offers a rare, deeply personal look at both sides of a prodigal story. What it felt like to walk away, and what it meant to come home.
This episode explores what doubt and deconstruction can feel like from the inside, the tension between belief and questions, and how God continues to pursue even in the middle of distance. For anyone praying for a prodigal child, a loved one who has walked away from faith, or anyone wrestling with belief, this story offers both honesty and hope.
Show Notes:
Jakob Instagram https://www.instagram.com/whatshappsin.n?igsh=MXRtNjUwOG1hMDdkaQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
Jakob Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1Df1sbwviJ/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Suzanne Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/suzanne.happs
YouTube Channels:
Share your Unfolding story: https://bit.ly/UnfoldingStories
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Page 280 of the unfolding is the story of Jacob and Suzanne Haps. |
| 0:05.8 | There is no way that I'm just going to be able to go, hey, I need you to take me back in. |
| 0:12.1 | So I was really nervous about that. |
| 0:14.3 | It wasn't a sacrifice for us at all. |
| 0:16.2 | He called and he said, I have nowhere to go. |
| 0:18.2 | And I said, well, then come home. |
| 0:20.3 | Just come home. |
| 0:22.4 | God's story has been unfolding. |
| 0:25.8 | Since the beginning of time. |
| 0:28.9 | He invites you to be a part of it. |
| 0:34.4 | Another page in the unfolding. |
| 0:38.7 | Hi, this is Meredith Foster. |
| 0:40.9 | There are some conversations that feel tender the moment you step into them, and this is one of those. |
| 0:47.9 | Because if you've ever watched someone you love, especially your child, walk away from the faith that you raise them to believe. You know |
| 0:55.5 | how much that can hurt. There are questions, a lot of prayers, there are moments where you're just |
| 1:00.8 | wondering what God is doing. If that is part of your story, I just want you to know, you are not |
| 1:06.1 | alone. Last week on The Unfolding, we shared part one of this story through the eyes of Suzanne and |
| 1:12.2 | Alan Haps. They talked about what it was like to love their son Jacob through more than 13 years |
| 1:17.4 | of waiting and praying. And if you haven't heard that conversation yet, I encourage you, |
| 1:22.7 | go back and listen. That episode shares crucial backstory that will help you appreciate this episode so much more. |
| 1:30.3 | But today, we get to hear the other side. |
| 1:33.3 | Because the truth is, people don't just walk away from faith for no reason. |
... |
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