Coming Back To Church | Empower Her Blog
Friend, sometimes you already know what to do.
One of the greatest things we can ever experience is an encounter with God for ourselves.
Not simply hearing about what God did for our parents or what our grandparents believed.
But coming to a place where we can say, “I have experienced God for myself.”
Because when what we have been taught becomes what we have personally experienced, something changes. Our faith is no longer built solely upon someone else’s encounter with God.
We begin developing our own history with Him.
And, I believe that matters for my generation.
I’ve heard it said many times that millennials “left the church.”
And while I understand what people may mean by that, I think the story is a little more complicated.
For some millennials, leaving may not have meant leaving God at all.
Some of us grew up in traditional churches and specific denominations that gave us incredible roots.
We learned Scripture.
We learned how to pray.
We learned worship, service, community, reverence for God, and faith.
Listen...I am grateful for my roots.
But, there came a point in my own journey when I felt led to experience something different.
I attended a different church.
I served faithfully for years.
I was exposed to things I wasn’t accustomed to, and God used that season to expand my thinking and deepen my relationship with Him.
I wouldn’t say I went there to “find God,” because God had already been present in my life.
But I encountered Him in a new way.
And looking back, it reminds me a little of Abraham.
Sometimes God Says, “Go”.
In Genesis 12, God tells Abram:
“Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.”
God was asking Abraham to move away from what was familiar without giving him every detail about where he was going.
Abraham had to trust the voice of God.
And, his decision wasn’t only about him. His obedience would eventually affect generations.
Sometimes following God requires us to step outside of what is familiar.
That doesn’t automatically mean what we came from was bad.
It doesn’t mean we have to criticize our upbringing, reject our roots, or believe everyone needs to make the same decision we made.
Sometimes God simply uses a different environment to stretch us, teach us, mature us, and allow us to encounter Him differently.
I believe that’s part of my story.
And Sometimes God Says, “Go Back”.
Years later, during the pandemic and experiencing divorce, I found myself returning to the church where I grew up.
But, I didn’t return as the exact same person who left.
I came back with experiences.
I came back with lessons.
I came back with greater understanding.
I came back knowing more about myself, my boundaries, my relationship with God, and how I could serve.
And I didn’t come back trying to change everything.
I simply came back willing to serve.
Now, as I look around and see God’s hand moving, I can’t help but wonder if something similar is happening with other millennials.
Maybe we weren’t simply leaving...we were learning.
God allowed some of us to experience different expressions of worship, different ministries, different communities, and different ways of serving, so that we could encounter Him beyond what was familiar.
And perhaps now, some of us are being called back to our roots carrying what we learned along the way.
Not to tear down what was there...criticize...or prove that our way is better.
But to serve.
To honor.
To build!
And maybe even help bridge generations.
So, friend, if you’ve ever felt misunderstood because your journey with God didn’t look exactly like the journey of the people around you, I want to encourage you.
Follow God.
Stay rooted in His word.
Remain connected to healthy, Bible-teaching, Bible-preaching community.
Learn Him for yourself.
And when He tells you to move, have enough faith to move.
When He tells you to stay, have enough faith to stay.
And if He ever tells you to return, don’t assume returning means you’re going backward.
This Week's Faith Moves:
Sometimes you return to an old place as a new person.
Abraham couldn’t see every generation that would eventually be affected when he first obeyed God’s instruction.
He simply had to take the first step.
Maybe that’s what God is asking from us too.
This week, ask God one question:
“God, where are you asking me to follow you beyond what is familiar?”
Maybe He’s telling you to go, stay, or return.
Whatever the answer is, don’t allow fear, people’s opinions, tradition, or even familiarity to speak louder than God’s direction!
HELLO!
You don’t have to know the entire plan to take the next faithful step.
And perhaps the next generation is waiting on what God develops through our obedience.
Identify one area where you know God has been stretching you beyond what is familiar.
Write down the next step you believe aligns with His word, pray over it, and take one action this week.
What if God isn’t asking you to abandon your roots, but to grow deeper roots so you can help something beautiful grow for the generations coming behind you?
Verse of the Day
Genesis 12:1 (NIV) “The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.”
New Here?
Hi, I am your friend, Breonna, here to help women trust God, apply His word, and actually build what He told them (even when they don't have it all figured out yet.)
Comments