We become the problem in conversations. We're "too rigid," "too judgmental," "too committed to fairy tales." The implication is always that we'd be happier if we just relaxed, just bent a little, just accepted that our values are quaint and outdated.

And the loneliest part is that it comes from other women, too. Women who chose differently see my choices as an implicit judgment. Maybe I'm not judging them—I'm just living according to my own conscience—but the suspicion sits there between us anyway.

My faith is not a performance. It's not something I do because I'm afraid or sheltered or haven't experienced the "real world." It's a lens through which I actually understand what matters, what's worth protecting, what I want my life to mean. And I can't explain it in a way that doesn't sound crazy to people who don't share it.

So I've learned to exist in this peculiar solitude. Not bitter about it. Just aware that being serious about your convictions means accepting that not everyone will understand, and that's okay.

But sometimes I wonder if there are others like me—other women who feel this same loneliness, this same sense of swimming against the current. Who are trying to live according to something bigger than themselves and feeling weirdly isolated for it.

Are you out there? 💎