Some of the best things about leaving meetings are….
(Summed up in one word: Freedom)
Daily Life:
Don’t clean house as much; only do dishes when we want.
Don’t get upset that the yard is not perfect.
Don’t wash and wax the car as often.
Spouse and I rarely argue anymore.
Our pockets jingle more.
Not having the Truth controlling every minute of your time.
Emotionally Speaking:
Less stress
Don’t have to be perfect
Can be ourselves
Discovering who I am.
Loving me and my life.
No longer walking around feeling that I am not worthy.
No pressure to be perfect
Refusing/rebelling against the tyranny of fear.
Socially Speaking:
Having a social life I never had
Not worrying about what people think or am I doing the right thing.
Freedom to do and explore without worrying about what people might think
No more conversations about who left meetings, who professed, which workers are going where
Realizing we have a whole lot more brothers/sisters in Christ than we thought we did as 2x2s.
Workers/Visitors
Don’t feel stressed from the Worker visits.
Not worry about unexpected visitors
Not having to always be ready for a workers visit.
No more worker worship.
Meetings & Convention:
Love having my Sunday mornings for me…they are so peaceful, no matter what I choose to do with them.
Not having to attend all those meetings – got off the meeting treadmill
Not feeling guilty for skipping a meeting
No one being able to dictate whether I can/cannot have a meeting in my home—or remove it
Reading from a bible other than the KJV.
Not having to get the house ready for meetings.
Not going to meetings at least twice, maybe three times a week
Not having to study something in the bible in order to have something to say 2-3 times a week
Not having to go to conventions when the heat was terrible and you had small children try to keep quiet!
Not having to get a testimony for meetings; not stressing over what am I going to say? No pressure.
Church:
Looking forward to going to church
Going to church is no longer a burden
Being able to wear what I want to church – dressy or casual.
Not having to dress up for church – wearing what we want to–even shorts and flip-flops. No ties
Actually enjoying going to fellowship gatherings now… and looking forward to going.
Singing songs other than just those in the Hymns Old and New
Listening to a pastor’s message in church that has practical and applicable meaning to our daily lives.
Women Issues:
Wearing slacks/trousers and not feeling guilty
Loving the freedom to express my femininity with jewelry.
Not having to keep my hair long.
Cutting my hair and keeping it short
Hi, pierced ears!
Being able to dress up and wear makeup
Actually looking in the mirror and being pleased (instead of thinking “who’d want to look like or live like this?)
Children:
Not worrying that my children will “be called” to go into the work.
Not having to keep children quiet during long meetings at conventions.
Not having to go to meetings on school nights when children need to study and go to bed early.
Spiritually:
Freedom in all areas of our lives, especially spiritually! Christ sets us free in SO MANY WAYS!
Growing in my faith
Really studying and learning what the Bible is all about
Discovering what “by grace through faith” really means…
Enjoying a whole new relationship with God
Having a lot of “Jesus” discussions with family and friends.
Saying and meaning: “HALLELUYAH!”
Not focusing on MY works—it’s all about Christ working in me.
Sharing Jesus with people without feeling that I must get them to a gospel meeting
Being content to share my faith and let God lead others to where He wants them.
Using our God-given talents.
Not judging that everyone outside my religious world is doomed to hell!
Not condemning others for doing “worldly” things.
Realizing how great God is! That He is a WHOLE lot bigger than we thought when trying to fit Him into the 2×2 box.
Getting to know God a whole lot better!
The new experiences of discovering so much fresh bread for our hungry souls is “out there.”
Not having to live by rules
Popping open a beer or having a glass of wine in front of others and not feeling like we did something wrong.
Enjoying MUSIC!
Listening to contemporary Christian music with an open mind and having it minister to me immensely.
Not hiding the beer, TV or Christmas tree.
Not putting on a dress or skirt when doing something where I might run into some F&W.
The worst things about leaving are….
Missing some of my friends
Being shunned by some…
Those who are disappointed or grieving over my leaving…
Miss seeing my friends at conventions once a year…
Regret not leaving sooner!
Regret some of the things I made my children do, or wouldn’t let them do…
Regret that I was robbed of many innocent childhood pleasures
Regret the years I missed out on many “worldly” friendships that were actually Christians!
Regret the false misery, guilt and shame I felt at times for not conforming to their rules or hopes or idiosyncrasies.