Soul Bruises
As a lifelong believer in Christ, I’ve grown weary of witnessing harm within spiritual settings. I’m tired of pretending it isn’t happening or convincing myself that spiritual abuse isn’t a serious issue—one that not only plagues the church but is also spreading beyond religious institutions.
This is why the Soul Bruises podcast was created. It’s dedicated to exposing, educating, and ultimately working toward the eradication of spiritual abuse in all its forms. Whether you can relate to my experiences or bring your own perspective to the table, I hope Soul Bruises offers a balanced and thorough exploration of the issue.
Whether you’re a spiritual leader, a member of a church, or someone with no connection to God or religion, I challenge you to reconsider your assumptions about spiritual abuse. I encourage you to tune in.
With each episode, I hope you gain a clearer understanding of what spiritual abuse is, how it manifests in religious and non-religious settings, who it affects, and why it’s crucial to address it with honesty and purpose.
Soul Bruises
Episode 17- Soul Cuffs: How Churches Turn Devotion Into Chains (Distorted Loyalty)
What happens when your loyalty to God becomes twisted into a weapon against your own soul? In this deeply insightful exploration of distorted loyalty, we unravel how spiritual abuse manipulates our noblest virtues into chains of obligation and fear.
Distorted loyalty isn't just about misplacing your allegiance—it's about how that loyalty functions internally, creating an agonizing inner turmoil that makes you stay in harmful religious environments despite recognizing the damage being done. This episode carefully distinguishes between healthy devotion and the twisted version that leaves you feeling trapped, silenced, and spiritually hostage.
Through powerful real-life scenarios, we examine six harmful narratives where distorted loyalty manifests: refusing to address abuse to "avoid division," judging other Christians who don't conform to denominational expectations, equating leaving a church with betraying God, treating questioning as rebellion, reframing silence about wrongdoing as spiritual maturity, and merging personal identity so completely with group identity that departure feels like self-annihilation.
Most dangerously, fear-based obedience replaces authentic faith, leading people to stay in abusive systems not from love but from terror of rejection, punishment, or eternal consequences. This distortion fuels what some call "Spiritual Stockholm Syndrome," where victims emotionally attach to and defend the very religious systems harming them.
For anyone caught in these webs of twisted obligation, this episode offers profound validation and hope. You're not crazy for recognizing harm. You're not betraying God by protecting yourself. In fact, walking away from what damages your soul might be the first authentic step toward Him in a very long time. Because true loyalty should never demand the sacrifice of your conscience, dignity, or voice.
Have you experienced distorted loyalty in your spiritual journey? How did you recognize it, and what helped you break free? Share your story and join our community working toward healthier, more honest expressions of faith.
"Be Human, Be Kind, Be Both."
Hello my friends and fellow soul defenders, my name is Christie and this is Soul Bruises, a podcast devoted to taking a closer look at spiritual abuse. If this is your first time listening, I'm so glad you're here. I'm grateful for those returning also. This podcast exists to name, confront and address spiritual abuse out loud and learn more about what this spiritual abuse thing is all about.
Christie Hodson:Unfortunately, spiritual abuse will not disappear on its own. Eradicating spiritual abuse requires many consistent voices speaking up and refusing to tolerate or accept this harmful behavior in the name of God. This podcast is my personal contribution to that effort and I'd love for you to join me on that. Whether you're raising awareness in your church, family, friend group or online, your voice greatly matters. Together we can create healthier, more honest communities of faith. This podcast will not shy away from hard conversations. I know the topic of spiritual abuse can stir up strong emotions, painful memories and even traumatic events. I cannot stress enough. Please prioritize your mental and emotional well-being. If you need to turn off this podcast, Do it! You're not alone. I'm here to support you.
Christie Hodson:Lastly, I want to say a special hello to Soul Bruises listeners in Suncoast, queensland, in Australia, Lafayette, California, Godley, Texas and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. No matter where you're tuning in from, I hope you feel seen, loved and supported.
Christie Hodson:As I mentioned in the previous podcast, while I was preparing for a conversation with a future guest, two terms kept coming up that I thought deserved a bit more explanation. So I started researching both concepts. Like so many issues in this space, when I start to unravel the complexities of spiritual abuse, the information and examples multiply to the point that I realized I needed to create an episode for each of these terms. What I'm finding when I attempt to unravel the complexities of spiritual abuse is that when you start digging, you find there's so much more to discover.
Christie Hodson:If you're listening in on the Soul Bruises podcast, I hope there's a part of you that is both curious and craves learning, because, while this topic can be uncomfortable, understanding can serve to help us behave in better and less harmful ways. Also, understanding both of these terms will help to better understand more context in my future conversation with my upcoming guest.
Christie Hodson:So a brief reminder of the previous terms.
Christie Hodson:Misplaced loyalty is staying committed to an organization even if it's doing harm, because you're afraid to leave or you feel like you owe them something. It's that pressure to stay quiet, keep the peace or protect the image, even when something in your gut is saying this isn't right. And if you are the one that speaks up or walks away, you are often viewed as the one being unfaithful. This kind of self-imprisonment keeps you connected to the harm, out of fear, pressure or a deep-held belief that leaving makes you a bad Christian. So what about distorted loyalty? What is that and what's its connection to misplaced loyalty?
Christie Hodson:Misplaced loyalty is about who and where your loyalty is directed. That can be a leader, a pastor, a church institution, denomination that is clearly causing harm, but despite that harm, one's loyalty to the organization supersedes their need to walk away or speak up.
Christie Hodson:So while misplaced loyalty identifies who and where, Distorted loyalty, on the other hand, describes how that loyalty functions inside of you personally. It's the inner turmoil of how loyalty gets twisted and tangled up in your personal trauma, your sense of obligation or an outright confusion of your identity, to the point that it feels inescapable, even when you know something's not right. What does that look like?
Christie Hodson:Well, that can manifest in numerous ways. Someone might feel guilty for setting boundaries with someone who once had helped you but is now harming you. You might stay silent about spiritual abuse because you were taught that speaking up is rebellious, divisive or simply negative. You may also ignore your instincts because you were conditioned not to trust them and taught that obedience equals holiness. One of the most damaging outcomes of this mindset is confusing loyalty with love. Even when loyalty is costing you your health, peace and integrity, you continue to hold on.
Christie Hodson:In a nutshell, Distorted loyalty is what happens when you feel loyal for reasons that no longer serve your healing or your values, leading you to be trapped in cycles that will not break without deep inner work. How does this happen? It creates an inner delusion and emotional pressures that make it really hard to see a situation clearly, even when harm is occurring.
Christie Hodson:Contributing factors might include being raised to believe that (quote) "if you're a good person, you won't speak up, or that good Christians learn to submit and don't cause trouble end quote. It can also be the trauma bonds we form with others, leading us to believe that they hurt me, but I can't leave. Trauma bonds are quote strong emotional connections that can form between a victim and their abuser in abusive relationships. They often arise from a cycle of abuse where the perpetrator alternates between periods of violence and abusive behavior with moments of kindness and reassurance. This creates a sense of dependence and confusion in the victim, making it difficult to leave the relationship, end quote.
Christie Hodson:And then how many of us have been handed this suitcase of guilt and feelings of shame that say if I speak up, I'm the problem? This distorted loyalty is so damaging to our internal compass that it bends it in the wrong direction, leading us to train ourselves and others to believe that betrayal of an institution is actually betraying God. Our loyalty is so wrapped up in survival, in fear and in belonging that even abuse gets spiritualized. This kind of loyalty is about being trapped. You know something's off, but something deeper inside of you screams that leaving means abandoning your faith, your family and even yourself. Those are heavy stakes.
Christie Hodson:Many times during this process you will ignore truth, go against your conscience and sacrifice your own health and well-being. It is a twisted version of faithfulness that is not built on love or real belief, but a sense of obligation. Distorted loyalty twists the very definition of loyalty, turning it into silence, compliance or submission. It is more dangerous than misplaced loyalty e because it creates a false moral obligation, where you feel responsible to do something out of guilt, pressure or manipulation, that is not actually your true moral duty. You don't just feel bad leaving. You feel like a sinner for even thinking about it. It uses your own conscience against you. Have you ever felt the weight of that?
Christie Hodson:Let's explore some statements and scenarios that show distorted loyalty and how that plays out in each narrative. The first narrative: We don't want to cause division, so things like abuse or racism will be ignored. Here's a scenario A beloved youth pastor was found to be emotionally manipulative and, over time, sexually abusive to several teenagers. When one of the survivors came forward, she was not met with support but with spiritual platitudes such as we don't want to gossip. Satan loves to divide the church. Let's handle this quietly to preserve the unity of the body. Instead of reporting the abuse, the church leaders quietly asked the pastor to step down for a season and told the congregation that he was taking a sabbatical for personal growth. The survivor was subtly encouraged to forgive and not let bitterness take root. The victim eventually left the church feeling unseen and betrayed. So how is this distorted loyalty? The leadership believed they were being loyal to the church's reputation, loyal to unity and loyal to protect the anointed pastor. Despite knowing that abuse was wrong. They feared division, loss of members and a spiritual fallout. In turn, their distorted loyalty became twisted and no longer protected the vulnerable or reflected the heart of justice and love. Second narrative: Other Christians are judged because they don't go to our denomination, even though they love Jesus.
Christie Hodson:Mindy grew up in a close-knit Pentecostal church that emphasized speaking in tongues as the evidence of being filled with the Holy Spirit. Her church community was vibrant, deeply spiritual and full of love, but there was also an unspoken and sometimes spoken belief that they were the ones who really had it right. Spoken and sometimes spoken belief that they were the ones who really had it right. When Mindy started dating Jordan, a sincere, jesus-loving guy from a different spiritual background, she brought him to her church. People were kind, but behind closed doors she heard comments like does he even have the Holy Spirit? I just worry he's not really saved if he's not part of the full gospel. Be careful, lukewarm faith can look a lot like love for Jesus.
Christie Hodson:Mindy found herself torn. Jordan's faith was real. He read scripture, deeply prayed, served the poor and loved Jesus, but he didn't speak in tongues, didn't shout in worship and wasn't part of her church. She felt intense guilt for even considering a future with someone outside. She started questioning Jordan's salvation, not because of anything he lacked spiritually, but because her internal loyalty to her denomination had been shaped by a deep sense of we are the ones who are truly faithful. This is distorted loyalty, because instead of putting her loyalty to Jesus at the center, she allowed her religious system to be the gatekeeper of who counts as a real Christian. This creates an inner turmoil. She loved someone who she knew clearly loved Jesus, but felt disloyal to her church for accepting that. Her inner conflict came not from truth, but from the distorted sense of obligation, fear of rejection and confusion between tradition and truth.
Christie Hodson:Narrative 3: Leaving the church, despite it being harmful, would be betraying God. David was a committed member of his church for over a decade. He volunteered regularly, tithed faithfully and was seen as a dependable leader. But over time things began to shift. The pastor became increasingly authoritarian, did not allow questioning, he shamed people publicly during his sermons and insisted that leaving the church was equivalent to leaving God's protection. When David confided in a friend that he was thinking about leaving because of the manipulation and control, he was warned You're in danger spiritually if you walk away from his covering. Don't let offense drive you away from your assignment. The devil just wants to isolate you and remove you from the anointing God placed here.
Christie Hodson:David wasn't just afraid of losing community, he was afraid of betraying God himself. Deep down, he believed that walking away from the church, even a toxic, spiritual, abusive one, was the same as walking away from Jesus. He wrestled with this in silence. His peace was gone, his sense of self was falling apart and his relationship with God felt like it was being held hostage by the institution, but leaving felt like treason. This is one of the reasons I choose to speak out.
Christie Hodson:Many of our churches and institutions have become idols, in the sense that our allegiance to the organization is valued more than our allegiance to Christ. Our commitment to the system has become so entangled with our faith that belief in the church is treated as equal to belief in God or even greater than love for our neighbor. Why is the situation with David distorted loyalty? Because his loyalty to God was fused with his loyalty to a harmful institution, so much so that he couldn't see them as separate. It's no wonder the enemy convinces people to withdraw from God when Christians no longer mirror his character.
Christie Hodson:We have so married our institutions with God that not divorcing them or calling out the harmful behavior or outright abuse crimes is too tall a task. As a Christian, my obedience to an organization and their leadership should never be confused with my obedience to Christ. If my loyalty to an organization is dependent on staying silent in the presence of abuse, my institution does not deserve my loyalty.
Christie Hodson:The tragedy here is that distorted loyalty to a church or organization turns the love of Christ, which should bring freedom, into a form of control where you feel you are spiritually leashed. This is the essence of distorted loyalty. When something good like devotion to God is twisted by toxic systems, causing people to remain in harmful situations, our love of Christ feels like that should bring freedom. Instead it's weaponized into a leash. This is the heart of distorted loyalty. When something good like devotion to God gets twisted by toxic systems or teachings, causing people to remain in harmful situations.
Christie Hodson:Fourth narrative: Questioning is seen as disloyal.
Christie Hodson:Expressing doubts or challenging beliefs or challenging teachings is seen as divisive, sinful or even an attack on God's authority. Often one's own critical thinking is avoided so as not to be labeled disloyal.
Christie Hodson:Kendra grew up in a tight-knit church where the pastor's teachings were considered sent from God and not to be questioned. Every sermon, bible study and prayer meeting reinforced the idea that obedience and agreement were signs of spiritual maturity. One day, during a small group, kendra cautiously asked why do we teach that mental illness is always caused by sin or a lack of faith? That doesn't sit right with me. The group leader replied be careful, kendra. This kind of questioning opens the door to deception. Doubt is the enemy's playground. We don't challenge the teachings God has given.
Christie Hodson:Afterward, others subtly distanced themselves from her. She was told she needed to repent of her rebellious spirit and warn not to let a Jezebel influence take root in her. Over time, Kendra stopped asking questions. She suppressed her doubts, ignored the discomfort and learned to suppress her own critical thinking. Because the cost of discomfort, of being labeled disloyal or divisive, was too high. Kendra's loyalty to truth, curiosity, conscience and spiritual growth were repressed out of fear of being disloyal to God and her church leaders. She became confused about how she could question things without being considered rebellious. She felt she had a disconnect from her own mind to stay faithful. The inability to ask questions without facing repercussions left her feelings trapped in an environment driven by fear and spiritual shame.
Christie Hodson:Distorted loyalty twists our natural desire to belong, to be faithful, to seek truth, into pressures to stay silent, suppress our thoughts and live in fear. This is not true loyalty anymore. It is a spiritualized form of self-erasure, which is the act of suppressing or negating one's own thoughts, feelings, needs or identity for the sake of pleasing others. Or, fitting in.
Christie Hodson:Fifth narrative:, Silence silence can be seen as faithfulness. Often, silence is preferred for the sake of unity or to protect God's or the church's reputation. While silence can be a healthy discipline we all could practice more faithfully there are times when it can be used in harmful ways. Many times silence in spiritual communities can be seen as faithfulness, especially when image, reputation and authority structures are involved. Faithfulness, especially when image, reputation and authority structures are involved.
Christie Hodson:Jenna worked as a youth coordinator at a large, well-respected church. Over her time in that position, she became aware of inappropriate messages the senior pastor was sending to a young woman in the congregation. When she brought it to the leadership, she was told we need to be careful not to damage the church's witness. Let's handle this internally. She was advised not to talk about it and reminded that unity is more important than personal grievances. Jenna, who was deeply loyal to the church and fearful of hurting the body of Christ, stayed silent. Eventually the situation escalated. And when the truth came out, eventually the situation escalated. And when the truth came out, victims felt betrayed, not just by the pastor but by everyone who knew and said nothing.
Christie Hodson:Another example is Cliff, one of the only black members of a predominantly white church who shared with an elder about some microaggressions and outright racist comments that were made during Bible study. The response let's not bring division, we're all one in Christ here. It's best to take these things to the Lord in prayer and not stir the pot. Cliff was discouraged from speaking up or involving others. Over time he learned that silence was equated with being spiritually mature and not letting the enemy gain a foothold.
Christie Hodson:Another example is Sophia, who is serving overseas with a mission organization, discovered that the regional director was misusing donor funds. Yet when she raised concerns, she was told we don't want to damage the mission's credibility. Bringing this up could hinder gospel work. Her silence was praised as protecting the Lord's work. When she eventually went public, she was labeled divisive and bitter, even though her motive was accountability and integrity. Divisive and bitter even though her motive was accountability and integrity.
Christie Hodson:In these examples, the loyalty is distorted because the pressure to remain silent is framed as spiritual faithfulness, maturity and unity. The real harm being done, either through abuse, racist comments or financial issues, were overlooked for the sake of the reputation of someone or some organization. In doing this, speaking truth becomes framed as betrayal, and silence is sanctified or golden, as they say. There is a time for silence, but in the face of deeply toxic patterns of abuse, we must speak up. It can be the first step toward healing and being more truthful.
Christie Hodson:Sixth narrative: Our personal identity is merged with group identity. By doing this, it can make people feel like leaving the group is the same as leaving God, even if the group is unhealthy and abusive.
Christie Hodson:Edward grew up in a Seventh-day Adventist church where everything family, friends, spiritual life were tied to each other. In that one community he went to school and church with his fellow Adventist friends. The church taught that they alone had the full truth and other churches were lukewarm or deceived. When Edwards started noticing signs of spiritual manipulation and emotional control, he wrestled with this intensely. Even after recognizing abuse, he stayed for years because he had been conditioned to believe that leaving church is leaving the covering of God. He eventually left, but the grief and identity confusion were so intense that he felt like he was grieving to death and even doubting the salvation.
Christie Hodson:Then there is Andrea, who grew up as a Jehovah Witness her entire life, after studying the scriptures independently and coming to some different conclusions. She left the faith. And coming to some different conclusions, she left the faith. The cost for her doing so? Immediate disfellowship, complete shunning by her family and church family and being labeled as an apostate. Her entire identity as a child of God and as a moral and decent person was wrapped up in her being a Jehovah Witness. Yet when she left, she sadly stated this I didn't just lose my religion, I lost my family, my sense of belonging and the feeling that God was even with me.
Christie Hodson:Group loyalty becomes a huge part of someone's core identity. Having a community around you is deeply comforting, but in some environments, questioning the group is treated as questioning God. Fear, shame and spiritual threats are often used to pressure people into staying faithful. This distorted loyalty is especially difficult to untangle because it is not just about belonging. It feels like your very salvation depends on you staying. Healing from this often requires rebuilding your sense of self apart from the group and learning how to reconnect with God directly, free from fear and manipulation.
Christie Hodson:Narrative six Fear-based obedience replaces true faith, leading people to stay not out of love but for fear of rejection, punishment or losing your community and family. This distorted loyalty blurs the lines between obedience and faithfulness, demanding devotion to a system or leader at the expense of personal, agency integrity and even safety.
Christie Hodson:This is one of the most damaging forms of distorted loyalty, where people stay compliant and silent not because they love God, but because they are afraid of what will happen if they don't obey. It twists obedience into something fear-driven and externally enforced rather than rooted in trust, love or freedom.
Christie Hodson:Rachel was part of a very conservative Church of Christ that taught that they were the only ones truly saved and everyone else that taught that they were the only ones truly saved and everyone else, even other Christians, were lost. She stayed for years, despite feeling anxiety and theological confusion, because she was taught if you ever leave the truth, you're rejecting God and destined for hell. Even though she sensed emotional manipulation and legalism, fear of that eternal punishment kept her obedient. It wasn't love or conviction, it was terror masked as faithfulness. The punishment of hell kept Rachel compliant In some ultra-conservative groups.
Christie Hodson:Leaving the church doesn't just mean spiritual fear. It means being entirely cut off from your family and community. A woman who left a polygamous Mormon sect was told my mother won't speak to me. My sisters pretended I never existed. I wasn't afraid of God. I was afraid of losing everyone I had ever loved. In these settings, obedience is demanded under threat of losing connection with your family.
Christie Hodson:Mike attended a non-denominational church led by a charismatic but authoritarian pastor. The unwritten rule was clear that you don't question the leadership. Yet if you do, you're rebellious, divisive or under spiritual attack. When Mike raised concerns about a misuse of finances, he was publicly shamed. Others distanced themselves from him, afraid to associate with someone who had accused the Lord's anointed. I wasn't loyal to God. I was scared of being exiled. Mike later shared it felt like cultic obedience dressed up as faith.
Christie Hodson:Then there was Jessica, who grew up in an evangelical purity culture where obedience to modesty, rules and abstinence wasn't presented as a way to honor God in freedom, but a way to avoid shame, sin and punishment. She internalized that her worth was tied to how well she obeyed. So when she was sexually assaulted as a teen, she thought I must have done something wrong. God is punishing me. This kind of distorted loyalty is so damaging because it confuses external compliance with spiritual health and leaves no room for nuance, trauma or honest struggle. It is so harmful because it replaces relationship with control, promotes fear over freedom, demands performance over authenticity and it protects the system and leaders over individuals.
Christie Hodson:Poet John Milton in his epic poem, "Paradise Lost wrote quote distorted loyalty is like being told to chain yourself to a sinking ship because leaving it would mean abandoning the captain, even if he's steering it into the rocks end. Quote.
Christie Hodson:In episode 15 on mind control, the concept of Spiritual Stockholm Syndrome was mentioned. Stockholm syndrome, originally describing hostages bonding with their captors, happens when people emotionally attach to those who are harming them as a way to survive. Over time, they justify, defend or even idolize the person or system that's hurting them.
Christie Hodson:Spiritual Stockholm Syndrome, however, happens within religious settings. It can be described as people who stay loyal to harmful leaders, toxic churches or abusive religious systems, not because they aren't aware of something that's wrong, but because fear, dependency and emotional manipulation have conditioned them to believe staying is the right or only choice. Sound like misplaced or distorted loyalty. They are the major mechanism of spiritual Stockholm Syndrome by keeping people tied to harmful environments, by twisting good things like faithfulness, obedience and love into chains of fear, guilt and shame. Distorted loyalty fuels the emotional captivity seen in spiritual Stockholm Syndrome.
Christie Hodson:Sarah was part of a church for over 15 years. At first it felt like a warm and loving community. Yet over time she starts to notice that the pastor is controlling. Questioning the leadership is seen as rebellion. Is controlling, questioning the leadership is seen as rebellion, expressing doubts is labeled as sinful and those who leave are spoken about as spiritually weak or even deceived. She begins to feel uncomfortable with some teachings and how people are treated. But when she tries to bring up her concerns, she's shamed publicly and told she's being used by the enemy to sow division.
Christie Hodson:Even though she feels hurt and confused, Sarah stays. Why? Because she's been taught that true Christians submit to authority, that leaving the church is leaving God and that good people don't cause problems. So her desire to be loyal to Christ has been twisted into loyalty to a harmful system. Over time she even starts to rationalize the mistreatment, telling herself maybe it's just my pride, or maybe I just need to trust the leadership more pride, or maybe I just need to trust the leadership more. She is loyal not because it's safe or healthy, but because she has been conditioned to equate loyalty to the church with loyalty to God, even at the cost of her peace, health and truth.
Christie Hodson:So what is the antidote for misplaced and distorted loyalty? What can we do to counteract the harm of these forms of twisted loyalty? We tell the truth. We are honest even when it's hard. This means being willing to speak up even if it's uncomfortable, unpopular or costs you something. We develop healthy boundaries, knowing when to step back or walk away. Boundaries are about protecting your emotional, spiritual and mental health. We learn how to tell the difference between control and authentic faith. Not everything labeled Christian reflects Christ. We ask for accountability for leaders or systems. Without accountability, power gets abused and people get hurt. We aren't nice to keep people comfortable. True love brings about healing and freedom.
Christie Hodson:In conclusion, Misplaced loyalty, especially in spiritual spaces, is one of the hardest things to recognize and even harder to confront. And as I've unpacked today how loyalty becomes tangled and distorted with fear, silence and obligation, it stops being holy and starts becoming harmful to oneself. True loyalty reflects the heart of Christ, is rooted in love, truth and accountability. It's never afraid to ask questions. It doesn't protect power at the expense of people and it never demands your silence to maintain someone else's comfort.
Christie Hodson:The distortion of that loyalty is when love gets hijacked by fear, when obedience turns into a prison and when your loyalty shifts from being about truth to being about survival In spiritual communities, churches and institutions. This distorted loyalty often shows up when people are convinced to stay silent, stay small and stay wounded.
Christie Hodson:So if you're listening and realizing, that's me. I've been caught in misplaced loyalty and that distorted loyalty term feels like something I've experienced.
Christie Hodson:Please know this you are not crazy, you are not alone. You are not betraying God by walking away from what's harming you. In fact, you may just be walking toward him, maybe for the first time in a long time. Keep wrestling, keep asking, keep seeking. Ultimately, it's not about loyalty to a system. It's about your freedom, about being curious about truth and embracing love that sets you free and not bound to shame.
Christie Hodson:Loyalty to God will never require the erasing of your voice, your dignity or your soul. This journey isn't easy, but it is sacred, because every step towards truth is a step toward freedom. You're allowed to leave what harms you, you're allowed to question what confuses you and you are allowed to be loyal to the truth, even when it means walking away.
Christie Hodson:As you listen in episode 18 and hear my upcoming conversation with my guest, you'll notice the tension she experienced around loyalty. I believe many of you will find her story very relatable, so please come back for that.
Christie Hodson:Real loyalty never asks you to betray your conscience. True faith never asks you to stay in chains, and love, the kind that comes from God, never demands your silence to prove your worth.
Christie Hodson:This is Christie, and you've been listening to the Soul Bruises Podcast. I would like to encourage each and every one of you to Be Human. Be Kind, Be Both.
