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A personal story about navigating difficult experiences in faith settings with my Savior—while reclaiming agency and finding greater faith, belonging, and understanding.

A personal story about navigating difficult experiences in faith settings with my Savior—while reclaiming agency and experiencing greater faith, belonging, and understanding.

Written by someone whose faith was pressured as a teen—and who later learned how easy it is to repeat the same pattern. Midway through my sophomore year of high school, I found another faith community that felt like home. But it broke my parents’ hearts. The years that followed were strained. During a waiting period after which I would be allowed to make a final decision, conversations were heavy and emotional. As other adults at school and church tried to influence me, some

Jesus saw beyond behavior and ministered with patience to the one. "Does anyone know anything about 'Good Shepherds?'" That was my segue into John 10:1-18 in a morning scripture study class with teens. A student raised his hand. “Good Shepherds gather their sheep at the gate of their enclosure every night and check for the day's wounds. Then, they minister to each one.” That was many years ago, but I still feel the power of that statement when I think of it. As my student sha