For many years, I wrestled with identity\u2014wondering if I could truly live openly and authentically as the person God created me to be. I am a gay woman of faith, and for a long time, I struggled to reconcile those two parts of myself. On top of that, chronic illness, trauma, and financial challenges added layers of doubt and fear to my journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But healing begins with honesty. And for me, that meant no longer hiding pieces of who I am. Through prayer, writing, and a lot of soul-searching, I\u2019ve learned that God never asked me to be anyone but myself. The more I embrace my true identity, the freer I feel\u2014not because life has gotten easier, but because I no longer live under the weight of pretending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My poetry reflects this journey. Some pieces are raw, reflecting seasons of grief and struggle. Others are filled with gratitude, hope, and joy in knowing that God\u2019s love is unconditional. Together, they paint a picture of what it means to heal\u2014not in a straight line, but in a series of steps, stumbles, and small victories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Living authentically also means accepting that I am still in process. Healing takes time. Faith requires trust. Identity unfolds with courage. And while not everyone will understand my journey, I\u2019ve found peace in knowing that I don\u2019t need everyone\u2019s approval\u2014I just need to remain true to the One who walks with me daily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you are struggling with identity, faith, or finding your place in this world, I hope my story encourages you. You don\u2019t need to hide. You don\u2019t need to have it all figured out. You only need to take the next step, trust God\u2019s love, and believe that you are enough\u2014exactly as you are<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
For many years, I wrestled with identity\u2014wondering if I could truly live openly and authentically as the person God created me to be. I am a gay woman of faith, and for a long time, I struggled to reconcile those two parts of myself. On top of that, chronic illness, trauma, and financial challenges added […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6932,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6144","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/demoliynks.com\/leannebourgeois\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6144","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/demoliynks.com\/leannebourgeois\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/demoliynks.com\/leannebourgeois\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demoliynks.com\/leannebourgeois\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demoliynks.com\/leannebourgeois\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6144"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/demoliynks.com\/leannebourgeois\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6144\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6882,"href":"https:\/\/demoliynks.com\/leannebourgeois\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6144\/revisions\/6882"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demoliynks.com\/leannebourgeois\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6932"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/demoliynks.com\/leannebourgeois\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6144"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demoliynks.com\/leannebourgeois\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6144"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demoliynks.com\/leannebourgeois\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6144"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}