23/07/2025
“𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗔𝗹𝗹 𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗟𝗲𝗳𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗟𝗲𝗳𝘁 𝗚𝗼𝗱.”
There are stories we don’t often hear in church services. Stories of people who once sat in the front row... who served, prayed, worshiped loudly, mga nakikitang “on fire” noon, but one day? they were just… gone.
Some of us looked at them and said:
“They backslid.”
“They got offended easily.”
“They weren’t rooted enough.”
“They chose the world.”
But what if... not all who left the Church left God?
What if some of them still cry out to Him at night?
Still hold their Bibles close?
Still pray in whispers we can’t hear?
What if they didn’t walk away from the Lord…
but from the wounds they got inside the walls that were supposed to be safe?
Dahil ang katotohanan?
Some people left, not because they stopped loving God, but because the people who claimed to represent Him… hurt them.
They left because they were judged more than they were helped.
They were gossiped about instead of being guided.
They were shamed when they confessed.
They were pushed aside when they struggled.
They were told to “just pray more” instead of being asked, “How can I help carry that burden?”
They got tired of pretending they were okay just to be accepted.
Yes, we always say: “Don’t focus on people, focus on God.”
That’s true, but remember,
God uses people to lead, right?
God uses people to shepherd.
And sadly, sometimes, it’s also people who wound. 🙏
This isn’t a pass to stay away from spiritual family. I wasn’t saying that “Church-hopping” is the answer.
But maybe…
This is a reminder for those of us inside the Church to listen better.
To ask: Are we more concerned about their attendance than their actual heart?
Are we quick to quote verses but slow to offer presence?
To those who left…
Maybe you didn’t leave God.
Maybe you just needed space to heal.
And that’s okay.🩹
But please don’t give up on spiritual family forever.
Don’t let one painful place define your whole experience.
There’s a church that will truly love you, not perfectly, but sincerely💦
To those who stayed…
Let’s stop labeling, and start listening.
Let’s stop assuming, and start asking.
Let’s stop saying “They left God,” and start praying,
“Lord, how can we be better reflections of You?”
Because the goal was never to fill seats,
but to help people find Christ. 🙌
Let’s not be a Church that only welcomes the clean and composed.
Let’s be a Church that says,
“You’re broken? Come in. So are we. Let’s heal together.”
Maybe they didn’t walk away from faith,
maybe they were walking toward healing. May we be the kind of Church that people don’t want to escape from, but grow in. 🩷🛐
“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”
— Galatians 6:2
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