Six Months Ordained: Choosing Grace Over Judgment
Six Months Ordained: Choosing Grace Over Judgment
By Angel, Founder of AMC Rise and Thrive
Hello beautiful soul 💛
Today marks six months since I got ordained — a quiet
milestone that means more to me than I could have imagined. The funny thing is,
I didn’t plan on doing it when I did. There was no big announcement or
ceremony, no calendar date circled in red. It was an ordinary day when the
opportunity crossed my path — free, simple, and available — and something in me
whispered, go ahead.
I couldn’t explain it at the time, but that whisper felt like
more than my own thought. It felt like God gently nudging me toward something I
didn’t yet have words for. And so, I said yes.
Looking back now, I realize that small yes was the beginning
of a quiet unfolding — a way of stepping into the work I was already called to
do, but with a new sense of intention.
Religion vs. Spirituality: Breaking the Mold
Over these past six months, I’ve spent more time reflecting on
what faith really means to me. Part of that reflection has been shaped by what
I see online — conversations on Instagram and beyond about Jesus’ true message,
and how, over time, human hands have sometimes reshaped it to fit systems of
control rather than the hearts of people.
And here’s the thing: I get it. Religion, as a system, can be
beautiful — offering ritual, rhythm, and community. But it can also become a
box too small to hold the infinite presence of God.
I don’t follow religion for religion’s sake. I don’t need a
rulebook to tell me who is worthy and who is not. I believe in spirituality —
in living, breathing connection with God that cannot be confined to a building
or a denomination.
To me, the message of Jesus was never about hierarchy or
control. It was about freedom. Grace. Love. Hope. It was about reaching for the
one who felt forgotten, forgiving the one who had been condemned, healing the
one who had been dismissed.
Religion can build walls. Spirituality opens doors.
A Conversation That Planted a Seed
Just the other day, I had a conversation with a good friend of
mine who was raised Catholic. He told me he didn’t really have faith — that he
grew up learning structure, but not connection. His experience was shaped more
by rules than by relationship.
As we talked, I could sense that he was carrying something
heavy. Life, as it so often does, had handed him challenges. And though he
might not have had a strong faith practice, I could see the hunger for hope
still flickering in him.
I felt something rise in me — that quiet nudge again. I told
him that God loves him. That God has blessed him with a family, and even in the
moments when we feel lost, God hasn’t gone anywhere.
Sometimes we just have to open our hearts and look up.
I wasn’t trying to convert him or pressure him into anything.
That has never been my approach. I simply planted a seed. A small word of
encouragement, a reminder that God is not far away but as close as a breath.
Whether that seed grows tomorrow, next year, or ten years from
now — that is not for me to control. My job was simply to plant it.
And that’s the heart of what being ordained has come to mean
for me — not standing on a stage preaching, not drawing lines in the sand, but
quietly planting seeds of love, truth, and grace wherever I go, trusting God to
do the growing.
Choosing Love Over Judgment
When I share my heart here, when I sit with a friend in their
questions, when I write these words — it’s all from the same place.
I don’t believe my job is to judge. There are already too many
voices out there quick to condemn, quick to point fingers, quick to say who’s
in and who’s out.
Instead, I believe my job is to hold out grace like a lantern
in the dark. To remind the weary that hope is still here. To remind the
brokenhearted that they are still worthy. To remind the one who thinks they’ve
gone too far that there is no place too far for God’s love to reach.
I am not perfect. I never have been, and I never will be. And
that’s exactly what makes grace so powerful to me.
Grace says, Even with all that you are — and all that you
are not — you are still loved. You are still invited. You still belong.
When Faith is About Relationship, Not Rules
My friend’s words about being taught structure without
connection hit me hard because I think so many of us have been there.
Maybe you were raised in a strict faith tradition where the
emphasis was on rules — where you had to do everything just right, or risk
being labeled as “fallen.”
Maybe you’ve carried guilt for years, thinking you could never
measure up.
Or maybe you’ve walked away from faith altogether because you
were made to feel unworthy, unloved, unwelcome.
If that’s you, I just want you to hear this: God is not
waiting to punish you. He is waiting to embrace you.
Faith was never meant to be about checking boxes or keeping
score. It was meant to be about relationship — about walking with God, hearing
His voice in the quiet, letting His love transform your heart from the inside
out.
Grace is an Open Door
That’s why I speak about grace so much here on AMC Rise and
Thrive. Because grace is an open door.
It doesn’t just belong to the person who never messed up. It
belongs to the one who’s on their knees wondering if they can try again. It
belongs to the one who’s been told they’re too far gone.
Grace whispers: Come home anyway.
And sometimes, all we can do is remind people the door is
open. That’s what I did with my friend. That’s what I hope to do here with you.
A Quiet Benediction for the Wounded
If you’ve ever been wounded by religion — if you’ve been
silenced, shamed, or told you were “too much” or “not enough” — I want to say
I’m sorry. That is not the heart of God.
The Jesus I know sat with the outcasts. He welcomed those who
others turned away. He told stories about lost sheep being carried home and
prodigal sons being embraced.
He told the truth, yes — but He did it in a way that restored
dignity, not stripped it away.
So, if you feel far away right now, if your faith has gone
quiet, if you’re unsure where to even start — I pray this message meets you
like a gentle hand on your shoulder.
My Prayer for You
I pray you would know that you are not forgotten.
I pray you would sense a love that does not waver.
I pray you would find the courage to open your heart again — even if it’s only
a small crack.
God can work with that.
Bible Verse of the Day
“For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus
Christ.” – John 1:17 (NIV)
Affirmation
🌿 I am
loved beyond measure, and I choose to walk in grace — for myself and for
others.
Song of the Day
🎶 “Don’t
Let Me Be Misunderstood” by Nina Simone – a powerful reminder that we are
all works in progress. We long to be seen and understood, flaws and all, and
grace allows us to show up just as we are.
Closing Note
Six months ago, I said yes to something I didn’t fully
understand. Today, I am still learning what that yes means — still growing,
still stretching, still planting seeds.
And maybe that’s the whole point.
Faith is not about having it all figured out. It’s about
staying open. Saying yes to the nudge. Trusting that the seeds we plant today
may bloom into something beautiful tomorrow.
If this message speaks to you, hold onto it. Sit with it.
Share it with someone who might need a gentle reminder that they are loved.
Because love changes things. Quietly, steadily, powerfully.
With grace and light,
Angel ✨
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