Some of us are still in the church. And I love that about us. Actually, there are some of us who are in ministry or preparing to be. I applaud that.

I stayed as long as I possibly could. Some say I stayed longer than I should have. Maybe.

Although it was time for me to leave and it was overall a cordial departure, I did leave under some conflict.

This is why I appreciate pmpope68’s forum thread, “Another one I can relate to, how about you?”. It’s a thread about leaving a church under conflict. She says,

“I too have lost some of my innocence, but in a way it’s been a good thing.  I have come into a stronger sense of myself and know that my voice and opinion matters and I no longer justify myself to others or make myself small for others.  I have grown from the experience and although I would choose not to have that pain, it has shaped me for the better and made me a stronger person.  I don’t think I have much bitterness left, but some people may still be troubled by my frank opinions and may choose to label me as bitter when in fact, I am just walking in my truth and as you said, that bothers some people.”

Walking in my truth. Yes!