Staying Feels Impossible: Finding God in the Moments You Consider Leaving the Church

There are moments in discipleship that no one warns you about—moments when you find yourself kneeling in prayer asking a question you never imagined you would ask: “Heavenly Father… is it okay if I stop? Is it okay if I leave the Church?” This plea doesn’t come from laziness, rebellion, or a desire to sin. It comes from exhaustion. It comes from wounds that haven’t healed, questions that feel unanswered, doubts that feel heavy, and spiritual fatigue so deep that stepping away feels like the only way to breathe again. If this is where you are—if you are emotionally or spiritually at the breaking point—please know this: God is not afraid of your honesty. He isn’t shocked that you’re struggling. He isn’t disappointed that you’re asking hard questions. And He certainly doesn’t love you any less because staying feels harder than leaving.

In fact, the very act of praying about whether you can keep going reveals something profoundly beautiful: you haven’t let go yet. You could have walked away without a word. You could have stopped praying. But instead, you brought your hurt, confusion, and exhaustion to God and whispered, “I don’t know if I can do this anymore.” That moment is not weakness—it is faith in its most vulnerable and authentic form.

Scripture repeatedly shows that God meets His children in their moments of crisis. Joseph Smith, imprisoned in Liberty Jail, cried out, “O God, where art thou?” and the Lord answered with peace, not rebuke. Moroni watched everything he loved crumble and feared he would fall, yet God strengthened him to continue. Even the Savior Himself, in Gethsemane, asked if there was another way. His honesty did not offend the Father—it invited divine support. Your pain does not drive God away; it draws Him closer.

So if you are thinking of leaving, hear this clearly: you are allowed to be exhausted. You are allowed to have questions. You are allowed to take a step back without abandoning your faith. Sometimes staying means pausing, breathing, and letting God carry what you cannot. And before you decide to walk away, ask yourself what you are really leaving. Are you leaving Christ—or are you leaving hurt from culture, expectations, or imperfect people? Are you leaving the gospel—or simply stepping away from pressure you can’t hold anymore? These are not the same thing, and the answer to each is different.

You don’t need a perfect testimony to stay. You don’t need all the answers. You don’t need to pretend everything is okay. You just need to keep talking to God—honestly, painfully, even if all you can say is, “I don’t know if I can do this.” Because doubt isn’t the opposite of faith; quitting is. If you’re still praying, still asking, still hoping for clarity—even through tears—you haven’t given up. Stay one more day. One more prayer. One more moment of reaching toward God. The Lord who brought you this far has not forgotten you, and He is not finished with your story.

© 𝘍𝘦𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘍𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘴 2025. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘥.

𝘍𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘵𝘵𝘰𝘯, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯.