“At some point we have to realize that others can deal with any discomfort the trueness and fullness of who we are might cause them. That’s theirs to work through, not ours.”
This helps me a lot. Life has been about not rocking the boat for most of my life. Being true to myself and trusting that self has taken me a lot of time. It was good to hear others openly talk about this. It made me see that I’m not alone in the process of becoming brave.
And thanks for the Taylor Swift song. I hadn’t heard it before. I like it!
“A few years back, I went through a time of realizing that the self-appointed gatekeepers of evangelicalism—who often present themselves as gatekeepers of Christianity as a whole, even though the Christian tradition has always included a mind-bogglingly wide variety of paths—don’t have power over me anymore.”
This resonates with my experience so much (well, your entire post did, but especially this). After being in the SBC for almost a decade as a pastor’s wife, this freedom has been life, and faith, altering. Thanks for putting it into words.
Oh my goodness, that must have been a long almost-decade. So thankful for the freedom you've found. The gatekeepers really only have the power we give them!
This topic has been on my mind! Sorry I missed your panel, but thanks for sharing this. Especially this resonated, "We keep searching until we find a community—or at least a small set of friendships—that resonates. Not necessarily where everyone agrees about everything, but where questions and different opinions are welcome, not shamed. Where we can be fully ourselves, and others feel free to be fully themselves. Where all kinds of people are actually welcomed fully."
“At some point we have to realize that others can deal with any discomfort the trueness and fullness of who we are might cause them. That’s theirs to work through, not ours.”
This helps me a lot. Life has been about not rocking the boat for most of my life. Being true to myself and trusting that self has taken me a lot of time. It was good to hear others openly talk about this. It made me see that I’m not alone in the process of becoming brave.
And thanks for the Taylor Swift song. I hadn’t heard it before. I like it!
Thanks, Krissy <3 - so, so not alone!
And good song, right?? Really the whole Evermore album never gets old for me, tbh.
“A few years back, I went through a time of realizing that the self-appointed gatekeepers of evangelicalism—who often present themselves as gatekeepers of Christianity as a whole, even though the Christian tradition has always included a mind-bogglingly wide variety of paths—don’t have power over me anymore.”
This resonates with my experience so much (well, your entire post did, but especially this). After being in the SBC for almost a decade as a pastor’s wife, this freedom has been life, and faith, altering. Thanks for putting it into words.
Oh my goodness, that must have been a long almost-decade. So thankful for the freedom you've found. The gatekeepers really only have the power we give them!
This topic has been on my mind! Sorry I missed your panel, but thanks for sharing this. Especially this resonated, "We keep searching until we find a community—or at least a small set of friendships—that resonates. Not necessarily where everyone agrees about everything, but where questions and different opinions are welcome, not shamed. Where we can be fully ourselves, and others feel free to be fully themselves. Where all kinds of people are actually welcomed fully."
Thanks for reading, and I'm glad that resonated!!
So glad these are some good questions. Your responses are just as good!
Thanks! And thanks again for organizing!!
I have added your list of books to my to do list and i cannot recommend hard enough this one:
"How We Learn to Be Brave: Decisive Moments in Life and Faith"
by Budde, Mariann Edgar
Been wanting to read that one but haven't yet - her inauguration sermon was so perfect. Thanks for the rec!