Have you ever felt weird? I have. For most of my life, I’ve felt like I was the odd one out. I’ve had friends, and I’ve done stuff; still, I’ve always just felt a little not like everyone else.  On some level, you expect to feel a little weird when you’re in non-christian spaces, but it was also true when I was in the Christian spaces.
And that’s kind of what led me to start Weird Souls. Not only are we called to be different from the rest of the world, but I also want to talk about what it’s like to be a Christian that is different from the brand of Instagram Christian we see a lot in American Christianity. You know, the the-proverbs-31,flowers-and-chalkboard,homesteading-homeschooling-minimalist,wide-brim-hat,prayer-closet,joy-and-sunshine kind of Christianity.
Don’t get me wrong. I love all those things. In another life, that might have been full-time Shannan. I love the thought of moving to a big homestead and living a simpler life. And sometimes, I’m a super girly girl that likes that boho aesthetic.
But most of the time, I’m not. I like dark spaces and rich jewel tones. I wear a lot of black (it hides kid snot better) I didn’t start dating till I was 31, and I got married at 33, which means I was 100% single for the first 13 years of my adult life (I didn’t date in high school either.) I don’t want biological kids, even though that is often upheld as the best thing a Christian family can do. I have a melancholy playlist on Spotify that I sometimes just settle into, and sometimes I feel moodier than how we portray Christian girls are aloud to be. I can be loud and opinionated, and I’m an ordained minister in a restoration church that leads a variety of ministries that are not kid-centric; which is pretty against the grain in some Churches, even some I’ve been in.Â
Because of all that and more, I’ve spent a lot of time feeling weird and disjointed in most areas of life. I’ve spent a lot of time trying to figure out how do I get more Jesus, so I feel like I’m “doing it right.” And what I’ve learned to settle into is that I’m exactly the weird soul God made me to be. If he wanted us to all fit into one box, he would have made us little cookie-cutter versions with little difference from the clothes we wear. But he didn’t; he made us a plethora of looks, personalities, thoughts, skills, and passions, so we can come together as one united body of believers.
What I’m trying to settle into, and what I’m going to talk about a lot here, is that we were each created differently. Romans 12 is what got me started on Weird Souls. Verse 2 says:
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will..
And then v. 4-6a
For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.
So God doesn’t want us to all be the same. He just wants us to be transformed through a relationship with him. Through that relationship, we find out what his plan (will) is for us. And when we do this, we are working as one body fulfilling all the needed roles for Jesus’ Church.Â
So…
- if you’re a Christian
- if you want to know a little more about what Christianity is all about
- if you’ve felt weird
- if you wonder why you do not fit into the “Christian mold”
- if you want a relationship with God but struggle to separate God from bad church and people experiences
- If you’ve felt stuck in your faith and wondered if this is all it’s meant to be
…stick around. Sign-up for the newsletter. We’re going to talk about all of it, from one weirdo to another.Â
Stay Weird
