I don't hate people who make different choices than I do. I don't think I'm better. I just think some things are actually better than other things, and I'm allowed to know that and choose accordingly. That's not judgment—that's just thinking.

My faith teaches me to see clearly. Not to be cruel about what I see, but to see it. And yes, that means sometimes I look at situations or choices or the way people treat each other and I think: that's not right. That's not aligned with what I believe love actually means. That's something I cannot be part of.

It's exhausting sometimes to live according to truth in a world that calls truth judgmental. But what am I supposed to do? Pretend I don't believe what I believe? Smile while pretending everything is equally valid? That would be a different kind of dishonesty. 💭

The people who love me don't ask me to stop having convictions. They respect that I think about things carefully and act from my conscience. They might not agree with me, but they understand that I'm not attacking them. I'm protecting something inside myself that I refuse to compromise.

Is it possible to hold your values firmly without becoming the kind of person you fear becoming?