Millions of Americans grow up in churches, denominations, systems of transcendent belief. Religion expands our thinking. Gives us hope. Brings us peace. It’s good for us.

But for many, religion isn’t good at all. The pressure to “measure up” in thought and deed to the tenets of our faith can be overwhelming. The gap between who we’re told we’re supposed to be and who we know we really are can breed unbearable shame deep down inside the most devout disciple. When this happens, some of us go so far as to doubt our spiritual sincerity … “How can I beset I believe, yet be such a hypocrite?” Others wonder, “Is my faith legitimate?” Still others agonize, “God, are you even real?” Struggle cuts to our very core: Should I abandon my faith all together? The path through consequences can be devastating.

Embedded in our DNA is the core need to be with others. It’s who we are … Built for community. Yet, the shame that often results from this experiential gap drives us far away, forcing us into hiding from those around us and from God. When all the while, our hearts cry out to be known and accepted for who we really are in each moment of our lives.

What if our spiritual paths were carpeted with temperance. We who do, we turn to in our sadness. The church is often not the place to because of the fear and confusion that result from a faith misunderstood.

The disconnect between faith and real life is as old as time. To address it, many mainstream theologies teach that God isn’t finished with us yet; We are holiness in the making. Most teach that God gives special gifts and graces, which enable us to strive for the mark while we’re on Earth awaiting whatever comes next. Those same theologies also teach that while we wait, we are still accountable for all the times we don’t measure up, fall short, miss the mark.

It almost feels unfair, doesn’t it?

But what if we’ve misunderstood God and those highly prized gifts of grace? What if our unique human experiences are divine expressions of a Love far beyond our ordinary attempts to define it … Even through religion? What not from sin but from a darkened mind that can't see the forest for the tress? Its tension and mystery, is exactly the tension of our spirituality that happens. There are parts of our human experience that just don’t seem to be a part of our religion. Why do we have to chose one or the other when neither feels true, honest? What’s a human to do?

Kate believes we do not have to chose. As an ordained chaplain and pastoral counselor, she helps to bridge the gap between and offers a unique perspective for others to find peace with who they truly are and to still be content in their beliefs.