I Left Church But God Didn't Leave Me | Mylena Sutton - 046

In today’s episode of Changing, Mylena Sutton joins Donald to discuss her experience separating from and ultimately returning to God. While she might’ve left Him, God never left her. And His grace allowed her to find her way back to Him and continue on her journey.

To Mylena, going to church as a child was like a family reunion. 

While her family wasn’t conservative, she was still the first to attend college. 

As she left to attend college, she left her family church and started attending a mega-church in Atlanta.

Her family was upset because they thought Mylena had an identity shift.

But Mylena liked it. She didn’t have to worry about everyone seeing her when she was vulnerable. Though it had nothing to do with her family, she enjoyed being there.

While she enjoyed church, part of her obedience to God was out of fear.

After moving to New Jersey in 2002, it took her two years to find a church she liked. 

She was there for about five years when she noticed she felt disconnected from the sermons. 

In one sermon, her pastor was preaching about what a woman needs to know about a man. She was so offended by the entire series that she left.

She reached out to some of the other women, and she asked if they also felt it was out of line. But they dismissed it, saying not to take it personally.

She decided that if she didn’t respect the pastor, what was the point of going to church?

A year went by, and her life was fine. She realized she needed to reframe the way she perceived God.

It led to a transition - she left the church and was terrified of God because he would be angry at her for leaving.

But she was okay. And that realization made her realize God wasn’t out to get her.

God’s plan for us is good. In that phase of her life, she wasn’t doing anything she thought she was supposed to do. But His grace was amazing.

Fast forward to 2008, she started her own business while working a traditional job.

She told God she wanted more time to focus on things important to her. The next day, she was fired.

While unfortunate, she would never have had the courage to quit on her own. She needed the push.

Despite having the business established, there was nothing behind it besides the concept and her determination for it to come to fruition.

Along this journey, she progressed from fearing God to finding his grace. Despite making many mistakes during her life, God’s grace has kept her moving forward. As a result, she now knows her relationship with the church and God are two different things. She can live her life without fear, because regardless of where she is in life, God is there with her. To contact Mylena, visit her website mylenasutton.com or her business’s website, voltagevista.com.