Living My Life Out Loud
People often ask what church hurt taught me.
My answer surprises them.
It didn’t teach me to stop believing in God.
It taught me to stop letting other people define my relationship with Him.
It taught me something even bigger.
Never hand someone else the pen and let them write your identity.
For years I believed I wasn’t enough.
Not spiritual enough.
Not mature enough.
Not this enough.
Not that enough.
Today I know something different.
I was always enough.
I didn’t need permission to be goofy or childish.
I didn’t need permission to dress like myself.
I didn’t need permission to have a personality.
I didn’t need permission to BE ME!
God already knew exactly who He created.
Why was I trying so hard to convince everyone else?
Healing hasn’t been easy.
Truthfully, there are still moments when certain memories creep back in.
There are still moments that trigger emotions I wish I didn’t carry.
Healing isn’t a straight line.
But every single day…
I choose myself again.
Not in a selfish way.
In a healthy way.
I choose authenticity over approval.
Peace over performance.
Freedom over pretending.
If my story reaches even one person who feels like they’ve lost themselves trying to make everyone else happy…
Please hear me.
You don’t have to become someone else to be worthy.
You don’t have to shrink yourself to fit into someone else’s expectations.
You don’t have to earn your value.
You already have it.
Today, I AM who I AM.
I am goofy.
I Dream bigger.
Love deeper.
And show up as the woman I truly am.
Not because everyone approves.
But because I finally do.
From this point forward…
I’m living my life out loud.
The girl who spent years trying to become who everyone else wanted is gone.
In her place stands a woman who finally knows exactly who she is.
And this time…
No one gets to take her away again.
For a long time, I thought my story was about church hurt.
Now I realize it was never just about the church.
It was about a young woman who forgot who she was because she spent years trying to become who everyone else thought she should be.
This is my rebirth.
Not because I found a new church.
Not because I finally got all the answers.
But because I found myself again.
The little girl who was too goofy… she’s back.
The woman who dreams too big… she’s back.
The woman who believes her voice matters… she’s back.
And this time, I’m never apologizing for her.
Welcome back, Shy.
I’ve missed you.
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