Stitched in Faith

Embracing a Spiritual Identity Beyond Religion

When I speak at workshops or events about finding purpose, sometimes the topic of religion can pop up. I’m often asked, “What religion are you?”

There is often a natural connection made between “life purpose” and our relationship with “God.” For many people, their faith tradition is the foundation of their purpose. For me, it’s a little different.

My answer usually causes curiosity — sometimes even confusion.

I say, “I don’t practice any particular religion. I’m stitched in faith by what moves me.”

I tell them, “I’m spiritual. I respond to the things that make me feel a deep connection — the moments, experiences, and signs that move me in ways I can’t always explain.”

For me, spirituality isn’t something that fits neatly inside a category. It’s not about following a set of rules, but about listening to the pull of the Universe, allowing it to stitch together the pieces of my life into something meaningful.

Religion vs. Spirituality

Religion and spirituality are deeply personal topics — and for many, they can also be sensitive ones. While both speak to the human need for connection, meaning, and belonging, they are not the same thing.

Religion often involves shared beliefs, sacred texts, and established traditions passed down through generations. It offers community, structure, and a framework for understanding life’s mysteries. Spirituality, on the other hand, is broader and more personal. It’s about your individual relationship with the unseen — with the Universe, with nature, with your inner self. It’s how you find meaning, purpose, and connection in your own way, without needing to follow a set path.

For me, the difference has always been clear: religion can be a path to faith, but spirituality is the fabric of it. My journey has been less about following one doctrine and more about weaving together my experiences, values, and connections with the world around me.

I have always been drawn to the quiet language of my surroundings — the way the wind carries messages, the way the earth seems to hum when you pause long enough to listen, the way small, overlooked moments hold more wisdom than we realize. My spirituality has been shaped by these experiences: by the beauty of nature, the art that moves me, the conversations that open my heart, and the stillness that allows me to hear my own soul speak.

This is the thread that guides me.

This is my faith — stitched not by rules, but by presence, awareness, and trust in something greater.

The Journey Beyond the Path

My spirituality is rooted in wonder. In nature. In stillness. In intuition. In the rhythms of the earth and the lessons of everyday life. It’s stitched together by a lifetime of moments — some joyful, some painful — that reminded me there is something greater at work.

And that greater force? I call it the Universe.

It speaks not always in words, but in signs. In silence. In synchronicity. In a kind of knowing that lives in the heart more than the mind.

Being a spiritual person with a unique relationship to the Universe is both a blessing and a challenge. It can be hard to explain — hard to translate a deeply personal sense of faith that doesn’t fit into traditional boxes. But for me, spirituality has always been expansive. It embraces prayer, meditation, art, music, human connection, and the unspoken language of empathy.

Threads Across Cultures

I’ve had the privilege of traveling on mission and outreach programs across different countries and communities. Each place, each person, each culture revealed another thread in the spiritual fabric of humanity. I met people whose faith was grounded in ancient traditions, in sacred texts, in stories passed down by ancestors, or in their deep connection to the earth. I also met others whose faith was centered around a strong belief that only church and tradition could provide true spiritual guidance.

Despite our differences, there was always a common desire: to love, to understand, to belong, and to feel held by something greater.

We are all stitched by something.

The Beauty in the Overlooked

When I was young, I knew I was different. I noticed things others didn’t. I found meaning in small, overlooked moments — the way sunlight filtered through leaves, the way people’s energy shifted when they smiled, the quiet comfort of a room after laughter faded. I even felt a connection with the dandelion flower — often dismissed as a weed in a beautiful garden — yet to me, it was full of resilience and quiet beauty. These things weren’t random. They were messages. They were sacred.

This way of seeing made me more aware. More open. More sensitive to the beauty and pain around me. It made me deeply empathetic to people, animals, and even places. I could feel stories in silence. I could recognize wounds in a glance. And while that sensitivity once made me vulnerable, it now gives me strength.

I’ve learned not to let others take advantage of my compassion. I protect my peace fiercely. I don’t need permission to believe in what I believe, or to follow the path that feels most authentic to me.

Living with Purpose

Each and every experience I’ve had — each conversation, journey, heartbreak, and healing — added another thread to the tapestry of my purpose.

I am stitched in faith.

Not because I follow a religion, but because I trust the journey.

Because I listen to the Universe when it whispers.

Because I choose to live awake, aware, and in tune with something deeper.

Living with purpose means tuning into the very things that speak and move you — the passions that stir your soul, the gifts that feel too big to ignore, the dreams that refuse to fade. It’s allowing the Universe to point you toward your place in the world, where your presence matters and your light is needed. It’s turning those dreams into reality, one inspired step at a time.

Your Story Matters

Whether your spiritual foundation comes from religion, from your connection with nature, from art, or from the quiet moments that have shaped you — your story matters. Your path, however it looks, is stitched together for a reason.

Finding your life purpose is about following those threads, listening for the voice that calls you forward, and trusting that the pieces will come together in their own time. Your purpose is already within you — waiting for you to recognize it, honor it, and live it.

So if you, too, have ever felt like your spirituality doesn’t “fit the mold” — I see you. If your prayers sound like poetry, if your meditation is a walk through the woods, if your sacred space is your own quiet heart — you are stitched in faith, too.

And maybe that’s the most honest kind of purpose there is:

Living every day with intention, compassion, and wonder, trusting that the Universe is always stitching something beautiful through you.