SHOULD I RETURN TO CHURCH

What to do and where to start when you are feeling called back to faith. 

Hi girl, hope this message finds you well. I have recently been going through a lot and feel like I should return to my roots. I grew up going to church and I think going back might help me. Where do I start? I'm nervous because I don't want to be judged for stepping away or being inexperienced. Any suggestions would be great thank you.

One thing about me, I believe in believing in something, so I am going to answer this the best way I know how, which is speaking from my own experience. And if you believe in something else, or nothing at all, thats cool too. But just hear me out. 

So many struggles in life are just too big for us to carry and I am so sorry to hear you are carrying something heavy. The most important piece of advice I can give you is not to worry about where to start and just start. People forget that the biggest part of faith is your own personal relationship with God. So open a bible and start reading (Try John. Thats where you’ll hear about that guy Jesus. He’s pretty great). Keep a journal of your thoughts and write down some prayers. Watch as your life begins to have a new deep purpose when you foster a relationship with something bigger than yourself; bigger than any problem you could ever think of. 

To your point, re-entering anything after some time off can be intimidating. But off the bat I would just like to remind you that if you feel judged in a church, follow your gut. That is not the church for you. We go to church because we are imperfect and we need the big-man-upstairs to help us through; that is literally the point. If you have friends that attend church, try going with them. Give each one a fair shake. Listen to a few different sermons to determine if you feel a connection to the preacher and the atmosphere in general. Going in with a buddy takes the pressure off of you. You get to be a person in His house, soaking it all in. 

If you do not have friends that attend church and have to go it alone, do not be afraid (in the words of the man himself). Try starting at a church you would feel most comfortable in. Maybe one that would be similar to the one you grew up in. If you are desiring something totally new, try a more contemporary, non-denominational church. Those are usually on the more casual side of things. In this post-pandemic world, most churches have their services recorded or live streamed, so that would be another way you could dip your toes in and try a few different places out. 

Regardless of the way you choose to jump in, just jump. I am no preacher myself, but I believe that God is there to take away your pain, anxiety, stress, discomfort, fearfulness, jealousy, worry confusion and on and on and on. All of those things feel so big; but they are not as big as God. All you have to do is trust. All you have to do is believe. All you have to do is talk. Start there. 

No one is perfect, my friend. We are all inexperienced at something. We have all been the new kid on the block somewhere. I am not an expert, I am not a pastor, but I know the darkness my faith has pulled me out of and the confidence it has given me. Faith is the best medicine, friend and therapist I have ever had. And as it says in the book of Matthew, if you have Faith the size of a mustard seed, nothing will be impossible! Have you seen a mustard seed? Tiny little thing. Small investment, huge payoff.

Hang in there, pray hard, listen harder. I hope you find a church that feels like home and it brings you a new season of life filled with community and peace! Much love!