\n<\/p>\n
OK, this is going to be a little personal, but you don\u2019t have to read it.<\/p>\n
In case you haven\u2019t noticed, I write about the Bible and Christian faith now and then. And if you\u2019ve noticed that, you\u2019ve probably also noticed that some of what I write about could be considered a bit edgy\u2014for some, at least.<\/p>\n
And that\u2019s OK. When you write about God, Jesus, and the Bible, you\u2019re going to be controversial for somebody. And, if several thousand years of recorded history are any indication, some people are probably going to be very, very, very angry with you for uttering thoughts about ultimate reality that they don\u2019t like. They might even hate you (in Jesus\u2019 name and for the glory of God).<\/p>\n
But that doesn\u2019t bother me terribly. Sure, I don\u2019t love it, but it\u2019s part of the job. Plus, my keyboard has a delete button.<\/p>\n
Over-the-top negativity isn\u2019t the hard part. What\u2019s hard is losing friends, a community, a sense of belonging, a shared narrative.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not so much about friends becoming enemies, but the more subtle disorientation of not really fitting anywhere.<\/p>\n
The insider becomes the outsider. Nothing unravels a social fabric quicker. I get it. No one likes their social fabric unraveled. It keeps us warm and safe. No offense taken.<\/p>\n
I keep writing \u00a0because I believe in being true to myself, and genuine faith cannot exist for me if I hold back and refuse to \u201ctake door number 3.\u201d<\/a> I\u2019m not particularly brave. I don\u2019t wake up in the morning mustering courage so I can go into battle to slay dragons. I just don\u2019t know what else to do with myself.<\/p>\n I don\u2019t know how\u00a0not<\/em> to turn things around in my head and look for a different angle that produces some new insights, even if that means leaving behind familiar things.\u00a0I just can\u2019t imagine\u00a0not<\/em>\u00a0trying to work all this out\u2014for my own benefit, and, if all goes well, for others, too.<\/p>\n I\u2019m not whining. I\u2019m not a martyr. It is what it is. I\u2019m just saying the loss of community, of a shared narrative, is the hardest part for me. Not fitting. Not knowing where you fit, or if such a place even exists. And maybe this is how it will always be.<\/p>\n And I know a lot of others feel the same way.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n*Sign up for my<\/span> sort-of monthly newsletter<\/span><\/strong><\/a>.*
*Join the\u00a0Bible for Normal People<\/em><\/span>\u00a0online community<\/span><\/strong><\/a>*<\/h3>\n