Your beliefs are changing. You are not.

When the belief system I'd held since childhood began to collapse under the weight of questions I could no longer ignore, I didn't just lose a religion. I lost the lens through which I'd interpreted everything about myself and the world. I lost the community that had organized my social life for decades. I lost the framework that told me what was right, what was true, and who I was supposed to be.

Loss has a way of stripping away who you thought you were. When my marriage ended after almost 25 years, I didn't just lose a relationship—I lost the version of myself that existed in that relationship. When I was let go from the ministry leadership position I'd held for a decade, I didn't just lose a job—I lost the professional identity that had organized my days and defined my mission.

Looking back, I can see that the worst points in my adult life came after losing roles I'd tied my identity to. The end of my marriage felt like I'd failed as a person. Being let go from a job felt like I'd failed as a person. Losing a role felt like losing my sense of self.