Exploring & Expanding: Growth After Religious Trauma
Flourishing is for the Deconstructing
There’s a moment in every deconstruction journey where you realize that certain phrases that were once comforting now feel like wounds.
“God’s plan,” “lean not on your own understanding,” “die to yourself”—words that once brought security now feel like barriers to growth. It’s unsettling, but it’s also an invitation.
Many of us were taught that questioning meant backsliding, that doubt was dangerous, and that obedience was the highest virtue. But what if growth is not betrayal? What if the guilt and fear that come with questioning are not signs of failure, but proof of your courage? What if stepping beyond those inherited beliefs is actually a step toward truth, toward wholeness?
Deconstruction isn’t just about tearing things down—it’s about making space—space to breathe, to question, to redefine what community, faith, and self-trust mean on your own terms. Space to ask, to grieve, to unlearn, and to rebuild. It’s about stepping into the unknown and realizing that you are not lost.
You are exploring. You are expanding.
If no one has told you this yet: You are allowed to step into the unknown (cue song), and it takes immense courage to do so. You are allowed to question. And you are allowed to find a path that is yours alone.
