Anna Ship. The Way Out Is The Way In. Our healing can come when reconnecting with what we feel hurt us.

Leaving Religion: a Guide

Today I am sitting down with the beautiful Anna Ship. Anna shares her fascinating story of growing up in New Mexico. At a young age she experiences abuse, her mother passing and then her father leaving her life. Adopted by her aunt, Anna had many changes in her young life and is now Mormon with her adoptive family. The church, Anna says, was a safety blanket to her. It offered her comfort. The idea of Zion, she says, "this was it." In the community that she grew up in. "I embodied everything about the church."
Later on in life, after a marriage that she gave everything to - even sacrificing herself, she had experiences through her church that rattled her beliefs. For fourteen years, Anna shares, she was hustling to be the number one woman in her husbands life. It created a prison and she discovered that she was stuck. Her priesthood leadership was not great at the time and the experiences that she had with them would have caused her to leave. She was ready to walk away as she lost all respect for priesthood leaders. A book came into her life, "How to Love" by Thich Nat Hanh and it was a godsend to her at this time in her life.
Anna shares that she still has a lot of love for the church and still holds that there are a lot of truths there, she just now believes that it's universal.
During a conversation with her mother she asked Anna, "do you believe that God's work never fails? It's God's work and glory to bring past our eternal life, that's not our work. Our job is to love and we are on God's work table." This rang true to Anna.
Later, during a conversation with her bishop where she was not going to get her temple recommend, he said, "you know it's okay not to have a recommend. It's okay if it take a long time." Anna shares that this was the first time in the church that she felt someone was telling her it was okay to have the journey.
With this thought that it's okay to have the journey and the belief that everyone is on God's work table, gave her permission to allow the pieces to fall.
God has me. There is no space he's not
LINKS:
To join me in my upcoming speakers symposium grab your ticket here: https://www.amandajoyloveland.com/leanin
Are you feeling the call to write your book? Come join my upcoming retreat May 12th-15th! https://www.amandajoyloveland.com/writersretreat
The Book How To Love by Thich Nhat Hanh https://www.amazon.com/Love-Mindfulness-Essentials-Thich-Nhat/dp/1937006883
Grab my guided journey for the death and rebirth cycle. Are you feeling that something gets to die? This is a stunning practice and one that you will find extremely helpful. https://www.amandajoyloveland.com/offers/nHjFkTTY/checkout

Let's stay in touch!
IG: @amanda.joy.loveland
FB Amanda Joy Loveland
www.amandajoyloveland.com
YouTube: Amanda Joy Loveland