For almost two decades, I was married to someone I loved. We had a beautiful family, a stable life, and a strong friendship. By most people’s standards, it was a good relationship—safe, supportive, kind. He was a good man. We shared joy, laughter, lots of life, vacations, sweet moments with our children, and a deep respect for each other.
But here’s what I didn’t understand back then: You can love someone with your whole heart… and still not be in the right frequency for your soul. You can build a whole life with someone… and still not be in alignment.
Because what I had wasn’t bad—it just wasn’t mine.
I had already met my Twin Flame while I was still married. And what that connection awakened in me was something I didn’t even know I had been missing: a level of intimacy, spiritual recognition, and divine truth that shook me to my core. He once gave me a song with the lyric: “I never knew I had a dream until that dream was you.” And that’s exactly what it felt like.
Until that moment, I didn’t even know I had a hunger for that kind of transcendent love. And once that part of me woke up, I couldn’t go back to sleep.
But I tried. God knows I tried.
For ten years, I pushed myself to make my marriage work. I tried to restore it, fix it, prove my love- to him, to myself, to everyone- through what I now know was guilt and obligation. I told myself I owed it to my kids. To him. To God. I forced myself to be present when my soul was crying. And that constant self-betrayal created deep, long-lasting trauma.
Because here’s what they don’t tell you: Being in a relationship that isn’t your true vibrational match will wear down your soul.
Me in 2017… hiding behind heartbreak
Even if it looks good on the outside. Even if there’s love there.
It’s not about blame. My ex wasn’t abusive. He didn’t try to trap me or control me. In fact, he told me more than once that he never wanted me to fake it. But the truth is—I did. I faked it because I didn’t feel like I had a way out. I faked it because I thought love was supposed to look like sacrifice.
Even now, years after our divorce, my nervous system is still healing. That’s how deep the pattern of self-abandonment ran. That’s how much I tried to contort myself into a relationship that didn’t fit.
I used to think that if someone was kind and stable and loving, that should be enough. But I’ve learned something sacred through my healing: Safe doesn’t mean aligned. And love alone doesn’t mean union.
If you’re constantly having to explain yourself… If you feel like your partner just doesn’t get you, no matter how you try to translate… If you’re always tiptoeing around your truth, your light, your sensitivity… If you’re not even sure you can speak certain feelings out loud without being shut down…
Then you’re probably not tuned to the same frequency. And that dissonance, over time, becomes unbearable.
They’re not a bad person. They’re not unloving or uncaring. They’re just not your person.
Different radio stations aren’t evil—they’re just not playing the same genre. And you don’t have to keep screaming into static and calling it love.
BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE 🌟
Great news. You don’t have to settle.
Your Twin Flame is the one whose soul mirrors yours exactly. They’re not “good enough”—they’re you. They meet you on the frequency of your truth. They challenge your illusions. They help you ascend—not through force, but through presence. And it’s a whole different world.
So if you’re reading this and wondering why your “perfectly good” relationship still leaves you empty, confused, or unseen… I want you to know you’re not crazy. You’re not ungrateful. You’re not asking for too much. You’re just starting to tune into the truth. ⛓️💥
If you can’t spread your wings around someone… how can you ever truly fly? 🪽
Keep choosing you. Keep returning to your frequency. Keep pouring love on the places you once abandoned. And trust—you’re not meant to settle. You’re meant to soar. 🕊️
It’s been about 180 days since I started on my intentional ascension path. (I say intentional because I think I always have been, we all are. Just now, I’m CHOOSING it).
When I started, I didn’t even know what ascension meant. I mean, I know what the word means. But I didn’t know what it meant for me.
I write about this here. But, more important is today.
This is a healing journey first and foremost. I am a healer. I’ve always been a healer. I love people and I want to share the truth because I want people to be set free.
I matter 🦋
In the spring of 2014, almost a year after I was fired from my favorite job working with my favorite person, I was prophesized over. While praying in a small group at a women’s retreat, my friend’s friend, Carol, who I had never met, began singing in tongues. My friend Gina, translated. Carol kept saying “healer, counselor, healer”. When we finished praying (and crying), Gina said that God was calling me to become a counselor.
Me… 😳🥹
Less than a month later Liberty University called me saying they received an inquiry from me (I didn’t submit an inquiry 😅). I hadn’t told anyone I was considering going back to school. It was like a teeny tiny idea. But, they had me on the phone, we talked about my vision for the world, and they said “you’d be a perfect fit for our marriage and family therapy program”. Three months later I started my master’s program at Liberty University.
I was in a LOT of emotional pain back then. I knew I was called to do MORE with my life, but I didn’t know what, how, or when. God knew though. God made a way.
He always makes a way.
My 3.5 year master’s journey was also a self healing journey. All that healing took me out of our shabby home on an off ramp and brought me to the rural suburbs. My vibration increased as I healed and I attracted wealth. Not just money. But a priceless relationship – with my supervisor who is a sage of his own kind (and very very much reminds me of my spiritual teacher and my twin flame ❤️🔥). I attracted a neighborhood that is peaceful and safe. I also attracted A LOT of clients on the same journey as me. They made me the therapist I am today and I’m forever grateful 🥰
The purpose of ascension is to heal the consciousness and “ascend” closer to God and all that God is. You can achieve some levels of higher vibration without really knowing you’re doing it just by pursuing more. God’s wealth and abundance are limitless and if you desire more, you can remove the blocks to achieve whatever you want. This is what the “overnight success” story is… The intentional purification of your consciousness to align with your desires. Believing you deserve more and allowing yourself to receive it. 🦋
You and God are ONE. If you have a desire it’s because God gave it to you. (You have to think about this deeply, not surface-ly, God is not a vicious careless uncompassionate God).
This is why I was able to achieve what I did. Because I purified parts of my consciousness which drew me closer to God and this manifested in the 3D as new home, new town, new relationships, new opportunities.
But I held on to old parts which kept me conflicted, strained, stressed, depressed, small. And repeating some of the same patterns.
This applies to all relationships 💕
I’m now ascending ON PURPOSE. Which is a much more intense journey – the pruning and perfecting can be painful at times, especially when I resist feeling my feelings and letting go of old patterns.
In the past 180 days I’ve been intentionally purging my consciousness of everything that is out of alignment with God.
The most important part of this process is to understand Who God Is and let go of every belief and idea that isn’t God. I had a LOT of misaligned beliefs about God.. lots of rotten fruit to be shaken out of my tree so I could begin to bear more fruit.
This is the process of ascension, of making a full 180. You can do it too! We all belong in God’s kingdom. He has a very special plan and process for you, too 💖
I’ve been doing this work for 6 months and it’s time to fully release all the gunk and embrace all the good. Worthiness and unforgiveness kept me stuck in the old and as a result I was experiencing a LOT of contrast and negativity. Basically, the universe was screaming at me… LET IT GO KITTY!!!
I thought “let it go” meant let go of everything I want. Nope. It doesn’t. I’m done believing that lie.
Let it go means…
Let go of scarcity, poverty, lack.
Let go of guilt, shame, and condemnation.
Let go of self punishment.
Let go of powerlessness and smallness.
Let go of weakness, depression, sadness, anxiety, and worry.
Let go of my trauma story; let go of feeling unlovable.
Let go of willfulness, trying, pining, chasing, controlling.
Let go of emotional chaos and emotional immaturity, explosiveness, demandingness, emotional intensity.
Let go of provoking and passive aggressiveness and anger.
Let go of these immature patterns that aren’t serving me. These patterns are not of God. And now that I’m pursuing God with my whole heart, there’s no room for these things. If I try to hold on to them, even subconsciously, God will not allow it and I will experience negative consequences- and I have! This is God’s way of loving me, loving us.
Heaven on earth has boundaries, too. ❤️🔥
I’m still healing but I’ve made HUGE strides because of the healing, learning, and growing I’ve done in my ascension school and with my ascension coach at Twin Flames Universe.
Side note – if you still think it’s a cult or you think I can’t discern properly lol, that’s your own stuff and I encourage you to work through it using the mirror exercise AND read their media statement. That’s all I’m going to say about that because entertaining fear and doubt isn’t a game I’m playing anymore 🕊️ I’m intelligent, discerning, and very protective of my heart, mind, time, and resources. I had to work through doubt and fear too and stop projecting it onto other people ❤️ it’s safe to trust Love.
So, with that said! ❤️🔥🔥💖🥳🎉🎊🥂
And it’s time to celebrate my success. It’s time to celebrate my 180! 🦋
Through the help of my teachers, Jeff and Shaleia, my coach Michaila, my MAP practitioner Christie, the TFU community, and my ascension buddies, I have successfully…
Healed Complex PTSD and childhood sexual abuse trauma. Yes, it’s healed. 🦋
Divorced, grieved, and now live in peace with my exhusband. We coparent beautifully and naturally. We respect each other and coexist as friendly Divine children of God. 🦋
Made over 7k since January by purging unneeded items. I did this by valuing myself and thus, this energy went into my things. I see myself as valuable thus my stuff is valued 🦋
Unenmeshed myself emotionally and financially from my ex and I now manage my own finances. I am working on getting my own loans, housing, health insurance, etc. I am becoming an adult. This is probably one of the most humbling things to admit. I was completely dependent on Bryce. Towards the end I couldn’t make any decisions on my own. I didn’t even like to make a phone call. I now have freedom, my own resources, and 50% of weekends to myself to do what I want. If you’re a mom, you get how valuable this time is. Divorce has been an incredible gift! 🦋
I have restored multiple strained/estranged relationships. I’ve even talked to my dad a few times (we didn’t speak for 10 years). I don’t desire a close relationship with him because he’s not safe, but I feel at peace with our relationship. This is true for all my relationships, actually. I’ve completely lost contact with a few that were not healthy, I’ve established inner boundaries with ones I desire to keep in contact with, and I’ve acquired a whole community of unconditionally loving friends and people who truly want the best for me, who are also pursuing God with their whole heart. This is a very big deal to me. I’ve always wanted this. 🦋
And lastly, but not leastly, I’m healing my relationship with God, Jesus, and the church. 6 months ago I had a LOT of hurt and anger towards the church. I’ve felt my feelings and released the pain and upset. I understand that people only give what they know and understand. No one intentionally tried to hurt me. We all have a responsibility to “be above reproach” but most don’t really know what that means. And that’s okay. That’s their journey. They can only harm me if I allow them, and I did. And now, I’m not. I choose to see everyone as a divine child of God, on their own journey to Love. 🦋
I now understand that I am One with God. I am not separate from him. 🦋
I own all of my feelings and upsets. I’ve stopped projecting onto other people, I’ve stopped blaming others for my suffering. I’m responsible for my healing.
🦋
And, I’ve healed and continue to heal communication. My twin flame and I are not in communication and won’t be in physical communication as long as I’m harboring unforgiveness, anger, and acting from a place of emotional immaturity and explosiveness. I’ve healed and I’m healing passive aggressiveness, manipulation, coercion, willfulness, and the pattern where I provoke, control, demand, and become vitriolic. This is humbling to admit but it’s the truth. In my deepest darkest parts and pain, I have not been very loving or kind. I was this way to others because I was this way to myself. I choose to forgive myself, surrender this toxic pattern, and communicate with myself and others from a place of compassion, gentleness, grace, and Love.
I am no longer unloving to myself. Feels pretty good 🥰🦋
Scripture says over and over that we are forgiven. This is not something we will experience in heaven. We are already IN heaven if we choose to be. You get to choose whether you experience heaven or hell, right now.
I choose heaven. I am free. I am forgiven. I am a new creation! 🦋
I’m able to make a 180 because I realize now that I am in complete control of my life, my self. No one’s going to do it for me or even with me. I have lots and lots of support but because I’ve called in all of Me, my Divine Self, NO ONE is going to or has enabled me to stay small.
For this, I am eternally grateful.
Amen amen amen. I choose this. 🦋
Thank you for journeying with me. I’ve only just begun! 🦋
Something I’m learning on my spiritual journey is that only love is real. Only Unconditional Love exists. So… anything that doesn’t align with that is an illusion. Hurt, pain, sickness, death, fear, anger, judgement, etc etc etc… It’s all an illusion. Of course you can experience the illusion of these things. But this is why some people don’t get sick or don’t have the same fears. Because it’s not real. It’s why LOVE CONQUERS ALL. Because IT IS REAL.
This is why Jesus could heal and walk on water and ascended. Because he tore the veil between truth and lies. Between reality and illusion.
The church I grew up in (not the building but the theology) taught me that God is angry, judging me, and that I’m a deplorable sinner. That I must “carry my cross” and accept the “thorn in my side”. Even recently a pastor said to me that marriage is something we must “burden under”!!!
Wait… What?!?!?!
If God is love and God made me and God is perfect and can only make perfect things (right?!?!) Then I am perfect. I get the whole “fallen world” bit. Jesus paid it all so we wouldn’t have to suffer. So we wouldn’t have to be burdened. That’s the gift!!!! What’s the point of Jesus if we still live burdened or in captivity to our sin??? Did he pay it all or not? Is God perfect or not? Am I made in his image or not? A good God would not “burden” his children with marriage. That’s nonsense.
Jesus paid it all. Grace is free. We’re free. It wasn’t an affair. I was, it IS, LOVE 😘
I want to share a little story about how God’s grace really showed up during this 10-year journey since I met my twin flame.
After my twin flame and I met and ‘happened’ my pastor and therapist called it an affair and demonized us. No one would listen. I didn’t understand so I couldn’t make anyone else understand. I had so much guilt and shame over our connection and our love for each other and how that was expressed in the physical. It was beautiful and horrible. I felt so alive and so terrible. I was so in love and couldn’t have him.
If you’ve been here and have a conscience, you get it. I went on a 3-year journey of trying to understand how and why I found myself in an “affair”… It was SO out of character for me. During that time, God really revealed to me the true meaning of grace, which even though I grew up as a Bible thumping evangelical Christian, I had no idea what grace was until then. I did a lot of healing and God really showed up with so much love for me. Grace became my life source.
Today I was listening to the song Flawless by MercyMe and was reminded of a really sweet gift.
About 8 years ago, I was pregnant with my third child, a girl. During the pregnancy, this song, Flawless, was on the radio A LOT. I love singing it, it’s such a great song 💓
Every time it would get to the lyrics “Let me introduce you to Grace Grace, God’s grace”, I would be overwhelmed with emotion and the baby would start kicking and fluttering about.
I felt like angels were singing over me. 🥰
Fast forward to the day my daughter was born. We didn’t have a name picked out for her. All I knew was that her middle name would be Grace.
She was born on her great-grandfather’s birthday so we chose to name her Anna after his mother, her great great grandmother. About 12 hours after she was born, my mom asked ” What does the name Anna mean?” I didn’t know because we hadn’t considered it for her first name so we looked it up…
Well… It means Grace. 💫
Yeah, her name is Grace Grace! 😂😍💓
The first night we spent together she woke up to nurse and Flawless was playing in my head. At that moment God’s grace and love washed over me. I realized that God knew all along that her name would be “Grace Grace” and that’s why those lyrics filled me with so much emotion!
“Let me introduce you to Grace Grace, God’s grace”.
Back then I thought my daughter was a gift from God as part of my redemption story. It was my “reward” for choosing my marriage and doing everything that I could to heal from my “affair” and rebuild the marriage. I thought God showed me grace by giving me a perfect daughter because I made the “right” choice…
I no longer believe that. I do believe she is a gift of grace, but not because I earned her.
God loves me so he’s going to bless me no matter what. God loves me no matter what. There is no condemnation! There is NO SIN. It’s an ILLUSION.
It wasn’t an affair. We didn’t do anything wrong. We didn’t hurt anyone. We didn’t hurt each other. I don’t have the power to hurt someone. We are eternal beings, made in God’s image. We can only experience the illusion of “hurt”. This is why when we THINK differently, we can make that pain go away.
I now KNOW that what happened between me and my twin was NOT an affair. In fact, I believe that I had an affair with my ex-husband! My spiritual teachers teach that having sex with anyone but your twin flame is like having sex with a sibling! Well, this made that whole relationship make sense….. 💀😂😅 I believe this truth is one of the HUGE reasons many couples don’t enjoy or stop enjoying intimacy/sex in relationships/marriage. Because hormones and the high only lasts so long. And your soul KNOWS you’re being intimate with a sibling 🤢
But the passion and romance between twins never fades. It’s why I still have feelings and desires ten years later! (And we didn’t even speak for the last 5 years!)
Twin Flame love is MAGIC ❤️🔥
I was married for 4 years when I met my twin (11 years ago). Even though I was already married to someone else, I always felt like I was betraying my twin, betraying us, by being in my marriage and doing married… things. I didn’t understand this because I thought I should have guilt because I was married and feeling desire for someone else. I didn’t have any guilt about my feelings about him until the “church” piled it on.
I never enjoyed doing married things. I’d pull away from touch, from hugs and kisses… I never initiated sex. I was irritable, annoyed, suicidal, in constant pain, lackluster, and just downright miserable. I thought something was wrong. with. me. Nothing I did made it better. And I TRIED.
I now understand that God gave me a living gift of Grace to show me how innocent and worthy of Love I am. I’m worthy of all my Good. I’m worthy of a marriage that is passionate and reciprocal and always growing, never stagnant. The ONLY relationship this is always possible with is your twin flame.
It’s not woowoo. It’s science. It works the same for EVERY twin flame. A method. A process. It’s God. You must have a close, intimate, safe, very personal relationship with God before you can be in Harmony with your twin.
My exhusband and I are smart, kind, committed, selfless, spiritual and loving people!!!!! We tried and tried. We used every resource, every method to heal and grow our relationship. It didn’t work because we’re not twin flames. It was destined to fail. And it did. When we made the decision to end it it fell apart, no problem. No drama.
My daughter is 7 now and the other day she said, unprompted, “I’m okay with you loving (my TF) because I already know him”. She was not even one the last time she saw him.
Her soul knows. My kids love him because HE IS ME!!! No introduction needed. No need to get to know him. If you know me, you already know him. 🥰
Final thoughts…
I don’t know if anyone else has boat loads of religious indoctrination and trauma, but, I want to confidently say that YOU ARE FLAWLESS.
You are perfect 💖
God’s Grace covers all.
And if you and your TF had an affair, I want to say —
IT WASN’T AN AFFAIR!!! 💥
There was always a grander, more beautiful, incredibly loving plan and reason for why he and I happened when we did. God is still revealing this to me, but I absolutely believe now that I have nothing to be ashamed of. I have nothing to be sorry for. It wasn’t an affair. It was love, it IS love, and God is love. I’m free from all guilt, shame, and condemnation!
Because of grace, grace, God’s grace ❤️🔥
I’m so thankful for this journey, so thankful for my coach and spiritual teachers, I’m so thankful for my community. I’m finally home ❤️
I planned to write an nye post and decided to have fun instead and now I’m realizing how actually perfect this decision was! I was going to say goodbye to a bunch of things I choose to leave in 2022… But… That actually feels like holding on. And I choose to LET GO!!!
So, Happy New Year! For the first time EVER I’m excited about the new year. I’m dreaming, throwing all kinds of good things into my vortex (see video), and manifesting so much abundance for the rest of my eternal existence!!!
So here’s a quick rundown (what’s a rundown??) of the rest of my life.
1. All the twin flame things. I’m all in. ❤️🔥❤️🔥 Twin Flames are REAL and I am one… And… So are you!
2. Ascension. I am loving this journey into harmonious union with God. I’m removing all blocks to Love and filling that space with Christ consciousness. Oneness. Peace. Joy. Unconditional Love.
3. Abundance. God is a God of plenty. I’m claiming my good, flowing with the divine flow. Make it rain 💸
4. Life purpose. I have a dream and I’m making it come true. Family recreation and recovery center ❤️🔥
5. Harmonious Union.
Funny… I got married when I was 23… 2023 seems like a good year to get married ❤️🔥 #vortex
So… Kitty…. What the heck are twin flames and when did you start believing in all this weird spiritual woowoo stuff???
Well lemme tell ya something.
I believe and I’m all in because it makes sense. It’s scientific, it’s deeply spiritual, and the work is working. It’s literally the only thing that makes my heart and mind and life feel at home, at peace. This wisdom and truth is my divine path to God, to wholeness, to Love. How could I say no?
I’ve been working on my twin flame post but I found this writing and it’s just so perfect and helpful. I didn’t write it (author credit below)
“You’ve met someone that you believe is your twin soul and it feels like your whole world’s changed. You feel this incredible love and desire to be with them which is unlike anything you’ve ever experienced. It feels like you’ve known them all your life, even if you’ve just met and you can’t stop thinking about them. You feel a pull and a bond that goes beyond any logical explanation. Yet you’re not together. You desperately want to manifest your twin soul relationship and be able to share your life with them and yet it’s just not happening. It may be that the other person is married or in a relationship with someone else or denies that there’s anything special between you. Or maybe you’ve started a relationship together, expressed undying love for one another and then suddenly the other person doesn’t want anything more to do with you and vanishes over the horizon. You try your best to forget them, move on but despite your best efforts you think about them everyday and just know that the connection you felt is still there. Perhaps you feel like you’re going crazy and must be imagining it all.
You begin to wonder whether this really is a twin soul relationship and doubt that it’s possible to manifest it. You may have been told to forget it. You wish you could, it all seems hopeless and you feel confused and bewildered.
The good news is that a twin soul relationship is meant to work and it’s meant to work in this lifetime. Why would you meet someone that you feel this much love for, feel this amazing bond, only to be kept separated from one another and destined to spend your life apart? You are meant to be together and the relationship is meant to work. However, the only way to manifest your twin soul relationship is to understand what it’s about and what is needed to make it work. It is a spiritual relationship and so doesn’t follow the normal “rules” of love, dating or marriage. If you try to pursue the relationship without your soul then you’re likely to feel like you’re banging your head against a brick wall.
No matter how much you may try to make it work, if you ignore the spiritual aspect of this relationship and go chasing after the other person then you’ll probably encounter resistance, denial, difficulties and setbacks. The only way to successfully manifest your twin soul relationship is to get to know your soul, your inner self and develop this relationship on a spiritual level. This person that you’ve met is the physical expression of the other half of your soul. Meeting them signals getting to know who you truly are. Twin souls or twin flames are the embodiment of pure unconditional love. So you need to let go of anything that isn’t part of that. It means letting go of thoughts, beliefs, behaviours that come from ego and don’t reflect who you truly are. As you gain understanding about yourself and begin to change you will notice that your twin soul does also. You are one soul in two bodies and what affects one affects the other. You act as mirrors with each other so as you begin working on yourself you will see that reflected back at you and at that point you will then be able to have and enjoy this special relationship that your heart has been yearning for.”
For most twin flames, it is not easy to describe the hidden door of desire, especially when it comes down to twin flame love, because it isn’t felt from a 3D level.
When you love from a 3D level, you are very much loving someone from a condition, and you are asking them to love you back ALSO from a condition. This is much like a marriage contract, based on a binding legal stipulation, instead of allowing love to flow naturally.
And in a way, you can say that is an essential difference between being in a regular 3D space and being with your twin flame in a 5D spiritual flow.
That pretty much sums it up. Some art so you know how I feel about this in my heart…. The desire is intense. But also so pure and beautiful. If you don’t know, you don’t know.
I love Christmas. I mean, everyone does, right? But I really really love Christmas. I love everything about Christmas… I love how right around Thanksgiving the energy changes. People are brighter, friendlier, and more generous with acts of kindness and gentleness. There is definitely something magical about Christmas time.
I am a happy and friendly person; I notice people around me and enjoy being kind and warm to people all year long. As the years pass, it seems like simple gestures like holding the door or saying good morning make people a little softer, if just for a moment. The world needs more of that.
Admittedly, sometimes I feel the weight of being “nice”. I’ve even said and thought and felt like I’m the “only” nice person around sometimes. Especially in the hustle and bustle of life. Most people seem to be increasingly oblivious to others. Covid also seems to have worn on a lot of people… myself included…and as I grew weary, it got harder to be naturally nice.
But Christmas. This year more than any other year I felt the magic in the air. A pure sense of hopefulness and joy. Did anyone else feel it this year more than others? I’m not sure if it’s a collective experience thing or if it’s because of the journey I’m on. I guess it doesn’t really matter ‘why’.
The past three days before Christmas I kept getting injured. Someone rammed into the back of my left leg with a shopping cart, I fell down the steps and landed on both my arms and hurt my hip, and then yesterday I smashed my fingers in a tray table while trying to put it away. Smashing my fingers left me in hysterical tears. I was curled up in a ball, bawling.
Why was I crying so much?
In case you didn’t already know, Bryce and I have decided to end our marriage. You can read about it here, if you’re interested. While choosing to end our marriage is the best choice, it comes with its fair share of complications and upsets. I’m not upset about the end of our marriage — I grieved the end for a very very very long time. I feel relieved and like I can finally breathe. I didn’t realize how much I had been holding my breath. How uncomfortable my body was all the time. I’m feeling so much better these days.
But as I bawled on the floor I realized that the natural consequences of divorce that are coming had me worried and concerned, more than I realized.
Preparing for Christmas as coparents had my worrying about our kids and how they will feel and handle the transition of living with both parents under one roof, to living with us under separate roofs. Currently, they are handling the idea of it well, and I believe their okayness is genuine. We’ve done a good job creating a loving home and solid foundation. Also, the split is amicable; neither of us are having a difficult time. Inevitably though, emotions will arise as significant changes occur in the new year. The divorce will bring big changes for us all and I’ve been worrying about them and others… I think I kinda forgot to worry about me. Also, guilt tends to get the best of me before I can feel deeper feelings like grief.
Liam so lovingly reassured me that they all are okay and will be okay. I receive his reassurance and reassure myself – I know I won’t do anything to hurt them; I know I will take every step carefully because that’s who I am. I love my kids and I care deeply for their hearts and our relationship. I choose Love and Love doesn’t hurt.
But I had a moment. A good cry. Lots of fears and guilt to work through. In my excitement of figuring out my problem, the reason I’ve been miserable and depressed and even suicidal for the past ten years, I think I ignored the hard parts of this transition. Physical pain sure has a way of bringing feelings to the surface if you let it. Of course I will because I want to heal. I don’t want to be stuck and mostly dead anymore! I really think I kept getting hurt because God was trying to get my attention. I’ve been asking him to help me become aware of my emotions, my blocks to love so I can heal. For whatever reason I needed physical pain to get my attention.
I’m grateful I had that moment, to get it all out and feel my feelings. Laying on the playroom floor with my kids cuddled on top of me- it was a gift I received and I also gave to myself. I’m proud of my growth. The old me would have been less than kind to myself and it probably would have ruined my day. Instead, I worked through it, healed my big feelings in the core of my heart, and moved on ❤️ I’m proud of me!
So, today, after finally resting last night, I fully immersed myself in Christmas morning with my kids. It was especially delightful watching Anna in full magic of Christmas mode as a seven year old. It was just absolutely perfect.
I stood back and took it all in and as I did, and likely because I created lots of space for good feelings (by releasing my heavy sad feelings the day before), I realized something…
For the first time in ten years or longer, I was actually genuinely happy on Christmas morning.
I’m a conditioned nice and happy person. Is it my personality? Or a learned behavior? Or both? I like being nice, friendly, accommodating. Giving of myself this way often brings me joy so it doesn’t usually come at a cost. But over the years being the nice one, the one who sees everyone and everything and is constantly trying to improve the emotional and aesthetic environment so everyone feels seen and comfortable, and the one who’s also feeling controlled constantly, being nice, even to strangers began to wear me out.
This spiritual journey I’m on is teaching me that it’s better to be genuine than to act. Yes, because acting is fake and dishonest. But more importantly, because acting represses emotions. And repressed emotions create negative energy. And negative energy is a life suck.
‘Repressed emotions’ is one of the many reasons I choose to end my marriage. But, removing only one repressor from my psyche doesn’t actually solve the problem.
I’m using an amazing skill to help me work through my big emotions. I learned it from Jeff and Shaleia, my spiritual teachers and the founders of Twin Flames Universe. You can learn the skill by watching this YouTube video…I promise it will change your life:
So, I mirrored a BUNCH of emotions that came up yesterday and finally fell asleep at 4am.
At 830 this am I stood back and had a wave of beautiful emotion come over me. And realized…
I’m actually really happy.
For the past ten years I’ve been hiding and denying a huge part of myself. I unknowingly, and with the best intentions, repressed big big feelings. Every Christmas Eve I’d grow frustrated, annoyed, exasperated. In every Christmas card I wrote to Bryce I would apologize for being such a bugger… I always spent the holiday frustrated and irritable. But I didn’t know why I was frustrated and irritable. I figured it was stress. But I LOVE Christmas. I love wrapping presents and watching Christmas movies and singing carols and playing games and smiling! Smiling’s my favorite. I love love love celebrating the birth of Jesus. Everything about Christmas is so precious. But I struggled to embrace it.
Today I finally got clarity into why I was actually able to be genuinely happy. I was genuinely able to enjoy all the little moments.
And here’s why…
Because I’m finally allowed to feel my feelings.
Imagine being in love with someone and being forced and feeling forced to deny it every day. Imagine believing that your feelings are DECEPTIVE and WRONG. That’s what the past ten years have been for me. And because I love this holiday, because it’s romantic and full of joy, the building pressure between wanting to enjoy it to it’s fullness and having to repress my genuine emotions grew and grew and led to an ungraceful unraveling every Christmas Eve and morning. Which led to a guilt ridden and repentant wife. This pattern was on repeat for years and I couldn’t figure out why.
I’m allowed to experience and consciously hold all this love I have in my heart for my person.
Now I understand.
So this Christmas, because I’ve been feeling my feelings- the “good”, “bad”, and “ugly”- I have genuinely been able to be NICE. (I put these words in quotes because I don’t believe feelings should be judged as being good or bad… And certainly not deceptive!!! I used them because I know readers understand what I mean by using these words). Who knew repressing GOOD emotions, like LOVE, could have such a detrimental effect.
Today and everyday now I allow myself to feel the Love I have in my heart for the only man I ever truly Loved. And because of this, I was actually able to enjoy my kids. I genuinely laughed and played and soaked it all up.
Everyone says “you’re going to miss this” and “enjoy them when they’re little” and I hear you!!!! I believe this to be true and I want to heed this cautionary tale. But I couldn’t. No matter how hard I tried I couldn’t just absorb them. Because there was no space inside of me for anything but what I couldn’t set free. Love, guilt, condemnation, more guilt, and so much grief.
It’s funny. I’m getting divorced… But for the first time in over a decade I actually feel like I genuinely made the “nice list”. I wasn’t irritable or faking it this year. I wasn’t mostly dead inside. I wasn’t people pleasing and catering to everyone around me and completely denying myself and then over indulging in another area. Every act of kindness was genuine and came from a place of peace.
I’m so grateful. Merry Christmas to me 💖
If you’re looking for a lesson or a moral of the story, here’s how I would sum it up….
Feel your feelings. All of them. Slow down and allow yourself to feel angry, devastated, grief… Allow yourself to love who you love. Doing anything less is so damaging to the self and thus everyone around you.
This was probably the smallest Christmas under the tree we’ve had and the least money we spent… But the two littles said it was the best Christmas ever. I didn’t over compensate by spending tons of money or lavishing them with tons of shit. I picked gifts with love and intention, wrapped and prepared from a place of peace and joy, and they felt it.
Energy is everything.
Christmas magic really does come from the heart. But the magic will be lost if your heart is full of pain and closed to Love.
You love who you love. I love who I love. My freedom came when I gave myself permission to feel it fully, with no expectations. Oh, and I ended my relationship with guilt and shame too.
If you’re looking to experience Christmas magic, it’s not too late. Close your eyes, feel into the core of your heart, ask yourself ‘how do I feel?”. The heart always knows. Allow yourself to be angry, sad, confused, whatever comes up. Don’t judge it. Allow yourself to feel madly in love with someone you “shouldn’t” be. I wish I had allowed myself this 10 years ago and every moment since then.
When you’ve found the part of you that feels the feeling, ask that part of yourself what it needs to feel loved. Often what I need is a big hug… acceptance… grace… peace… and lots of unconditional love. So I just give it to myself. I’ll often fall asleep wrapped up in my prayer shawl giving myself as big of a hug as I can manage. God knows how much big hugs heal me.
Did you make the “nice list” this year? The nice list is your own determination…. You get to decide if you were able to come to the gift of Christmas like a kid. Or was your heart burdened like mine has been for over a decade?
Feel your feelings. Allow God’s pure love to shine a bright white light on it, and give yourself the gift of yourself. You deserve it.
My senior year of college, I made this art piece to represent the word “joy”.
While I think it’s a fair representation of the word, I think a better word fits…
Resiliency.
I’m only now connecting this word to this creation.
Only now after fully liberating myself.
Bryce and I had been dating 3 years at the time I created this (2006). We were already engaged to be married the following April. My whole undergraduate experience in school for art therapy allowed me to, gave me the space to, creatively and artistically express our evolving relationship.
Now, almost 20 years later, I look at this art piece (and other similar ones I’ve created since…) And I’m realizing a few things….
This heart is not healed.
This heart is wrapped in wire (representing chains), has holes punctured in and through it.
It’s wrapped in plaster of paris, which if you’ve ever used, you know that shit is hard as rock.
It’s also a box. A box that I wrapped over and over again so that it could never be opened.
Then, on top of it all, I gave it away. I left it in My Father’s House.
I didn’t even want to keep my “joy”.
I never realized all the symbolism until now…and how incredibly telling and foreshadowing it is.
When I made this art piece I had Bryce in mind. Nineteen years ago I fell head over heels for him, and not even two months into my first adult romantic relationship I was planning marriage and forever. That’s all I ever wanted. Something that would last and something safe and stable. Something better than what I had as a kid.
I was on my way to making that dream a reality. I thought he was the reason I felt joy, the reason I was radiating. I thought he was the one who helped me shine. And while there is some truth here, it’s not the whole truth.
Side note… ironically, our wedding song was “At my most beautiful” by R.E.M. … Here’s some lyrics…
I’ve found a way to make you I’ve found a way A way to make you smile
Here’s me ATM….
Why did we pick this song? Seriously? My nickname almost everywhere has been something smiley of sorts… people always comment on how much I smile. Why would we pick a song whose lyrics say ‘i found a way to make you smile’??? Two words.
Cognitive Dissonance.
Sometime after high school (2002 or so) I painted this at church during worship.
I was still attending The Father’s House in Lewisburg and they offered lots of different ways to experience worship- one of them was painting. I will always take advantage of any opportunity to play with paint ❤️
Bryce and I weren’t yet dating when I created this 2002 piece.
As you can see, I have a theme. Both art pieces obviously represent a radiant light bursting out from the inside of a wounded heart.
There’s a saying that goes,
The scripture is also just so perfect:
“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.” Isaiah 60:1
I remember picking this verse. I obviously didn’t know what my life had in store. But it’s just so absolutely perfect for today, for my new journey.
I had no other choice but to believe Isaiah 60:1 as a girl becoming a woman. I had to believe that God’s light would shine in and through me. I would be dead without this belief, I know it. God’s love and light has ALWAYS been alive and well within me.
The box light, “Joy” was created after I had found “the love of my life”, the man I was planning to marry.
So… why would I create an art piece that looked like I had experienced more pain and was in more bondage than the painting I created even before I told someone about my childhood sexual abuse? You would think that my heart would look more healed after sharing that weight and beginning to heal. You would think “grief shared is grief divided”. You would think that joy would look more whole, especially because I’m engaged and planning a wedding! But my art doesn’t depict this.
A picture really does say a thousand words.
There’s all kinds of ways to pick this apart and you can think whatever you want but here’s the truth:
My art showed more pain because I was in more pain. My art revealed more bondage because I was in more bondage. I just didn’t know it.
Bryce is a good human and I don’t want to shame or humiliate him. That is not the intention of my writing. My intention is to share my heart, MY experience, and why it took me 19 years to come to this realization and decision.
He was and has always been loving towards me, supportive, and has cared very much about and for me. He is a good father, a good human, and he was a good husband. I know he loved me the best way he could. But… things happened. As they do in every relationship. Nothing serious, nothing major, but… I’m a sensitive person, an HSP, an empath, and I have a lot of feelings. I needed someone who could care for my feelings in an attentive and gentle way. I now know that I was created to experience a deep soulful, emotional, transcendental love.
When I was 20, with all my trauma festering under the surface, and in desperate need of a knight in shining armor, Bryce was right there. I splashed him with a puddle of muddy water and he paid attention to me. We both did the best we could with what we had. We both really really really tried.
But the heart I gave to him was first scarred by abuse in 1994 and then hardened and chained by betrayal in 2004. I realize now that my heart never functioned the same after that betrayal. I’m resilient and I have the Love of God alive in me so yes, I still shine. To the world I looked fine. To me I felt fine. Happy. Blissful even.
Cognitive Dissonance.
I’m a happy person. That might be a personality trait or it might be a survival skill, maybe both. Be happy or someone will notice that you’re dying inside. Someone will see that I was broken and I had no soft place to land. So, what’s a 23 year old to do? I had no idea how wounded I was. I had no idea how hurt I was. I had no idea what Love was. I was starved as a child so breadcrumbs felt like Shady Maple. (Look it up.)
I didn’t know I plastered my heart and wrapped it in wire and chains sometime in 2004. And then made art to represent the truth but called it “joy” instead. But I did.
Cognitive Dissonance.
My heart stayed that way until fire and gasoline and Love set me on fire and set my light free for a minute in 2012. I wasn’t supposed to…. But I fell in Love. Real Love. Transcendental, Divine LOVE. It took me ten years to realize that what I experienced with him was NOTHING like anything I had ever experienced before or after. This. Is. Special. This love healed my heart. This love set me free. This love inspired me, ignited me, raptured me. This love brought me back to God.
But as soon as I set myself free by choosing myself for the first time ever in my life, I had to deny myself again. Because I wasn’t allowed to have it. I had to surrender Transcendental, Unconditional Love. I already had “love” and I “need to be happy with what you have”. “Stop wanting more.” “What you have is enough.” “This is God’s will.”
But my heart was exploding. My heart was breaking free.
I thought I lost this photograph. Abraham Hicks says You can’t find something you think is lost. If you believe it’s lost the universe will align with you and keep it lost. You have to believe it’s found. I wasn’t looking and BAM there it was. I looked and looked for this photo in July. I found it while looking for a different photo last night.
I painted this in 2012 or so, in my bed, next to Bryce while he slept. This painting was me giving myself permission to feel my feelings. My therapist at the time told me I wasn’t allowed to feel my feelings (!!!😵!!!) but I think I might have died if I didn’t. I HAD to create. I had to get it out of me. I was exploding with Love and grief.
I had so much love energy…so much passion…I just had to create. I pulled paints and brushes and just sobbed and slapped paint all over the canvas…all over our bed. I screamed and cried and my husband slept. This is a pretty telling example of my emotional experience in our relationship.
My heart found Unconditional Love and I wasn’t allowed to have it. I was in Love and then I was forced to grieve an untimely and premature death. I was in Love and no one would listen. I was in Love and I was forced to kill it. We created a perfect Love…and I destroyed it.
It wasn’t long after this that I started shutting down my feelings again.
I took this photo of my painting before I cut into the canvas and stabbed the heart with a railroad spike. I’m glad I took this picture… Because look at it. No wire. No plaster. No chains. Just a huge explosion. I think this painting is more similar to the one I painted in 2002 than the box I created in 2006.
Before I decided on divorce, I felt so much pain in my chest. I even went to the ER. Of course they sent me home fine, a clean bill of health. But I knew what was wrong. My heart was broken. I lost touch with Love. I thought it was breaking because of someone else. That’s not true.
There are two truths about my heart pain… 1) my heart was waking up, reactivating, remembering Love. Like being shocked by an AED 2) my heart was breaking. I was and had been grieving the end of my marriage for a very very very long time.
In fact, I think I’ve been in the bargaining stage of grief for well over 10 years. Like I said, we really really tried.
There are moments between 2009 to the present where I lost touch with my heart. Like, I couldn’t find the Love I’ve always known… My resilience, my radiance….it faded in and out. Sometime between 2012 and 2022 I almost completely lost touch with Love. It’s like I was spinning in space, further and further away from my Source.
Over the past ten years, I’ve become increasingly angry, arrogant, depressed, and like… Dead. I’ve often wondered…why can’t I cry? Why can’t I feel? My feelings would build and build until they exploded. I kept attracting relationships that would end chaotically. Then and only then would I be able to cry… But I wouldn’t cry. I would bawl. Hyperventilate. Spin into suicidal ideation.
For ten years I recreated in most of my new relationships (and several existing) the devastating loss I experienced in 2012. Losing people was the only way I could feel anything. I’m just realizing this now.
After my heart exploded in 2012, I went away on a mini weekend retreat and painted again.
While away on my “MEtreat”, I received a vision while meditating. The vision was of a healed heart in the clouds, like heaven.
I went to a Catholic college so the sacred heart was displayed everywhere. I never really noticed though how much it resembled all the art I’ve created through the years. I think my art, like Sacred Heart art, is divinely inspired. Actually, I know it is.
So, I began painting. I started with the clouds and I knew I wanted to paint a healed heart in these clouds.
But… There was one problem….I was thinking about someone else. Buuuuut I was married to Bryce.
The GUILT was consuming. How. Dare. I. Love. Another. I’m Deplorable. Vile. Adulterous.
But…
Somewhere along the way I stumbled upon quotes like “don’t follow your heart for it is deceitful above all things”. And “marriage isn’t supposed to make you happy, it’s supposed to make you holy”.
So, because I believe the Bible and those in spiritual power, I began to forsake my heart, kill love, and stab myself with ice picks (migraines) and my side with thorns (chronic bladder spasms). I also chained my mouth shut (TMJ). I carried the weight of grief and condemnation on my shoulders (chronic shoulder and back pain).
In 2013 I was still in Love’s presence and the vision was still alive in my soul. But still, I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t get the vision to leave my brain, my soul, and flow out of a paintbrush. I couldn’t bring paint to canvas. The desire was there. The will was there. The image carved itself into my brain. But I was blocked. I couldn’t find my heart.
It’s interesting how this painting actually shows that. Just a blank space where something is supposed to be. I’ve held onto this canvas for 10 years. I almost threw it away this summer but Liam convinced me to keep it. He said, “you’ll figure it out mama, I know you will”. Oh Liam, you really were shaped by Love when you were in my tummy ❤️ He knows. He gets it.
Almost two months ago I was still in crisis. I couldn’t sleep, eat, function. I stopped working because I COULDN’T. It would have been unethical… I couldn’t do it. It’s hard to explain. I wasn’t depressed. I was….stuck. I now know that God put a hold on me to get me to WAKE UP.
And I did! Thank you Jesus! He left the 99 and he came for me. He brought me home, fed me, gave me a warm bed and clean pjs. And began breathing life into my dry and dead bones.
In June, I set off running on a feeling journey, a journey back to my heart, back to Love. It has been…. interesting. There have been twists and turns and distractions and decoys. I’ve also experienced a lot of miracles – like completely resolved migraines that I had almost daily for 10 years. Completely resolved TMJ. Completely resolved chronic neck and shoulder pain. No changes were made except I got HONEST about my FEELINGS.
February 2004-October 18 2022 was a classic case of extreme cognitive dissonance exacerbated by a warped belief system full of dogma, judgement, condemnation, lies, and bullshit. It took me four months to unpack 10+ years of confusion and pain. In the process of unpacking, I tried everything. I even tried exploring polyamory to resolve my “problem” 😂 I can laugh at this now because it’s just so silly. What I really needed…
Was to end my marriage.
So I did.
Looking back, I can see that on 6/26/22, my heart couldn’t handle the lies I kept telling myself and it just cracked open. Just like it did in June of 2012, almost exactly 10 years earlier.
It took four months for everything that I kept buried deep inside to come out. And then, finally, once I got it all out… I had an epiphany. And asked myself….”how would you feel if you got divorced”?
The answer?
Relieved.
Devasted. But relieved. I never allowed myself to consider divorce. It was off the table. I didn’t use that word. Instead, I allowed myself to become suicidal. I would fantasize disappearing. Like I never existed. No one would mourn my absence, I wouldn’t have to bother anyone with my death. I would just POOF be gone . I understand now that there was a part of me that was screaming HELP! Get me out of here! LEAVE! But I wouldn’t. I couldn’t. It wasn’t an option.
And…to boot… Our marriage was pretty good! Not terrible. But somewhere along the way I realized that some needs…needs most people don’t talk about…had never been met. Except for that one time in 2012. And now that I was allowing myself to consider that moment as something GOOD, it all started to click together. Like Clark and his Christmas lights…
Ten years of pining and thinking and wondering and crying and nearly dying…. I figured it out.
I love Bryce. But I was never IN LOVE. I know, it’s surprising. Looking at us you’d think we were.
We’re both very easy going people, very kind people. We have a good friendship. We work well together. I’m a very loving person, especially when I feel safe. Bryce rescued me from my family of origin, parts of which were physically abusive. I have always felt physically safe with Bryce.
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs illustrates that people cannot grow or actualize until basic needs are met. Physical safety is a basic need.
But I’m more than just a physical person. I’m an emotional person. I’m a sexual person. I’m a spiritual person. I had no idea that safety in these areas, all areas, was possible OR necessary to make a marriage not only work, but PASSIONATE.
There was no passion in our marriage. There was no shared depth of emotion. There was love, there was fun, there was adventure, there was conversation, there was friendship. But we did not have passion. We did not share deep emotion. It takes two to tango as they say….and I’ve been trying to tango alone and drag him along for 19 years. (funny because he doesn’t like to dance)…
There was more than that missing/problematic, but that’s as much as I’m willing to share publicly. You just have to accept that my marriage was not healthy for me anymore. I outgrew it as I grew in some extremely foundational areas.
I don’t owe anyone an explanation. That’s not why I’m doing this. I’m writing this because I KNOW I can’t be the only one. Everyone deserves Love.
Soul mate relationships are nice. They are cozy, warm, basic. No drama. But, in soul mate relationships, you don’t really grow. You get stagnant. Bored. You gain weight, lose hair, collect a ton a shit you don’t need. Most of America exists like this. But just because it’s normal doesn’t make it right.
Everyone thinks that just by identifying as a Christian that they’re not conforming. But have you been to a mega church? Have you talked to a conservative Christian since 2020? I think Christians have a knack for conforming, too.
I think this Romans verse is better lived out by those who go on a true spiritual journey back to God. A wild, crazy, amazing ride back to the heart of God, back to Unconditional Love.
God woke me up in June and poured out his all encompassing and consuming Love, Wisdom, and Truth faster than I could process. AH says that God doesn’t usually give humans a flood of downloads like this because well…we can look and feel a little crazy. Apparently this process is called Kundalini awakening .
As a result of my spiritual awakening, I discovered Truth, Peace, and Love again. The fire was relit in my soul. But, it was like a turbo burst and I needed to get control of all of this new and wild energy before I could really get grounded and rest. Chill. I’m now enjoying peace and clarity and Oneness with God and others ❤️ It’s beautiful 🥰
I’m painting again, and received s new/updated inspiration for my 10 year old canvas. It’s not finished yet… It’s missing something, I’m not sure what… But I know I’ll know soon 🔥
I chose divorce and my heart has been set on fire. My heart is healed. It is whole. No more chains, no more scars, no more darkness. Just Love 💘
The inspiration continues as I find my way back into the world. I know when I’m aligned with God, with Love, when I can turn my visions into reality. I know I’m following God’s call on my life when the fruit of the spirit blossoms from my life’s tree. Since ending my marriage I have reconciled multiple relationships. I’ve passed my licensure exam. I’m envisioning my future and making my dreams come true. There is no longer a shortage of love. Some marriages are not meant to last a lifetime and that’s okay ❤️
Please don’t apologize for our divorce. We are both happier now. This is truly what’s best for everyone.
When you choose Unconditional Love, everyone wins. Love wins. ❤️
Modesty culture Rape culture Courtship culture Marriage culture Patriarchal culture
I’m humbled to admit that I have participated in these cultures (below – Original article) and vomited their lies on people I love…and on myself. As I continue to grow, it becomes more and more obvious to me that the conservative “Christian” church is often TOXIC.
I believe there are more toxic ideas within the church than these five.
I thought Church was supposed to be a safe place. A place where you can come as you are and be loved through your life journey.
Instead, church seems like a manufacturing company, where open and willing souls walk in, vulnerable, and the church refurbishes these souls to then go out into the world and make more AI creatures that just regurgitate all their crap.
I’m not saying church is all bad.
I am shining a light on how church has hurt me and others.
Purity culture is not the only toxic culture in the Church.
There are five other toxic Christian cultures that I believe are related to purity culture.
The five cultures are:
Modesty culture Rape culture Courtship culture Marriage culture Patriarchal culture
All of these teachings were embedded in purity culture and integrated into the fabric of evangelical Christianity and the Church.
But NONE of them are actually biblical or Christian.
Let’s dismantle each culture, analyze the harmful teachings that came from them, and replace them with the real biblical truth.
Modesty Culture Modest is hottest–right?
Modesty culture taught us that our worth was on display. Our value was determined by shorts that were at least finger-tip length, straps that were three fingers wide, and clothing that was loose enough to hide our curves.
Modesty culture leads to a lot of body shame and a sense that our bodies are inherently wrong, sinful, and can cause others to “stumble”. It makes girls responsible for boys’ lust instead of empowering each gender to be responsible for their own thoughts and actions.
The truth is your inherent worth is determined by being made in the image of God–not in what you wear. You alone are responsible for your sin. Your value is not dictated either by your attractiveness to men (being “hot”) or keeping men from lust.
Modesty is more than how much skin you show. Instead, let’s emphasize a “modest” and humble heart that is nonjudgmental towards ourselves and others. Let’s consider clothing that is appealing to you, practical, comfortable, and makes you feel most like yourself, rather than what others will think of our clothes.
Your inherent worth is determined by being made in the image of God–not in what you wear. You alone are responsible for your sin. Your value is not dictated either by your attractiveness to men (being “hot”) or keeping men from lust. #modestishottest #toxicchristiancultures
Rape culture is by no means only a part of the evangelical Church–it has poisoned our secular culture as well.
We hear rape culture any time a woman is blamed or held responsible for her sexual assault and an offender is given a free pass:
“Well, what was she wearing?” “She was asking for it with clothes like that!” “He’s a man; he couldn’t help himself!” “He was such a promising young man. She was just tempting him to lust.” I can’t say it loud enough: A VICTIM IS NEVER RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR SEXUAL ASSAULT. NO ONE IS TO BLAME BUT THEIR ATTACKER.
Christians continue to perpetuate rape culture through the Gatekeepers Myth, one of my five myths of purity culture in my article “5 Purity Culture Myths”.
The antidote to rape culture is compassion for victims and accountability and justice for offenders. We have to hold men responsible for their crimes and sins. And we have to come alongside survivors and offer support and hope for their healing.
Nothing epitomizes courtship culture more than the book “I Kissed Dating Good-bye” by Joshua Harris. (I know Josh Harris has had a change of heart and I respect hishumility and openness to discussion. But we’ve got to still talk about the long-lasting impact of this culture!)
Courtship culture was rampant at the Christian colleges I attended, where “ring by spring” was the norm and you felt like nobody if you didn’t graduate with your MRS degree.
I think there are two risks of courtship culture–you could miss out on a good relationship because you didn’t give it enough of a chance or you could stay in a relationship too long because of the fantasy and false promise of your first love being your spouse.
The truth is dating can be healthy. You are not more spiritual if you choose not to date. Every Christian has to decide for themselves when and who to date. Dating can be a healthy way to understand yourself better and learn more about what you’re looking for in a relationship.
Marriage Culture Let’s talk about the idolization of marriage in the Church.
What’s wrong with marriage? Nothing. I am married and I love my husband and love being married.
But the “marriage culture” in the Church is toxic and insidious.
Being married is given “privileged” status in evangelical Christianity, while other relationship statuses such as single, divorced, or widowed, are often discriminated against.
Here’s what I mean by marriage culture:
Elevating married couples’ spiritual status and maturity over single people Giving married couples preference and leadership opportunities not given to unmarried people Catering to the needs of couples and families and secluding them together, while unmarried people are lumped in with the youth Judging people who are divorced and widowed without hearing their story Assuming that marriage will happen for every believer and is the pinnacle of adulthood Marriage culture breeds pride for those who are married and shame for those who are not.
Toxic marriage culture affected me by making me feel ashamed for being single. I felt something must be wrong with me that I was doing everything “right”, yet couldn’t find a husband. I also felt like I didn’t have the opportunity to serve in my church because I wasn’t married. Even in my late 20s, I was categorized with “college and young adults” because I was single.
But the truth is we are ALL valuable members of the Body of Christ. Marriage does not make you more spiritually mature, capable of leadership, or holier. Marriage is not the ultimate goal of a Christian’s life. Serving and honoring God is–and that can happen with or without marriage.
Patriarchal Culture Underlying all of the other toxic Christian cultures–modesty culture, rape culture, courtship culture, marriage culture, and purity culture–is patriarchal cultures.
Patriarchy is the belief that men are the leaders and the head of women. Women are in need of protection and provision. Men make the decisions; women are subordinate and submissive.
Why do we have modesty culture? Because it allows men to control women through their clothing.
How did rape culture evolve? Because it absolves men of responsibility for their crimes and puts the blame on women.
Why is courtship culture “biblical”? Because men (especially fathers) make all the dating decisions and women follow.
Why is marriage culture so prevalent in the Church? Because women are only valuable and gain status if they are married to a man.
What is the purpose of purity culture? To control women’s sexuality through myths and false promises about premarital sex.
I hope you know I have a lot of respect for men. I love my husband–he is my equal partner and we practice mutual submission. I have a great dad who has been a positive influence in my life.
But I do not support patriarchal culture that subordinates women to men and puts men in charge of marriages, families, churches, and institutions.
Men and women are equal in value and role. Men and women are co-image bearers and heirs of the Kingdom. Men and women are equally called, “equally saved, equally Spirit-filled, and equally sent” (M. S. Van Leeuwen).
If we want to fully deconstruct these toxic Christian cultures, we have to start with their common thread of patriarchy.
Keturah Mae Shine 