Sticky Stuff: What’s Got You Stuck Might Not Be Yours
There’s this sticky stuff we carry.
Some of it’s easy to name—grief, guilt, fear.
But some of it sneaks in quietly, like how I used to choose my clothes based on the unspoken dress code of corporate America. Not because I loved them, but because I fit in.
And that’s the thing:
Sticky stuff isn’t always trauma or tragedy.
Sometimes it’s conformity.
Sometimes it’s cultural.
Sometimes it’s churchy.
You just wake up one day and realize...
I’ve been dressing like someone I’m not.
Thinking like someone I don’t even agree with.
Living a version of life I never even chose.
What Is Sticky Stuff?
Sticky stuff is anything that attaches itself to your soul without your full consent.
It's the belief you inherited from your family that feelings are dangerous.
It's the silence you learned in church because your questions were “too much.”
It’s the way you shrink when someone questions your creativity or joy.
It sticks to how you pray.
It sticks to how you love.
It sticks to how you dream.
And unless you notice it—
you’ll think it’s you.
Where It Comes From
Let’s be real. We’re layered people.
And that sticky stuff? It’s got layers too.
Personal – A wound, a fear, a moment you can still feel in your bones.
Cultural – What your people taught you survival looked like.
Systemic – The spaces that told you who gets to shine and who stays silent.
Spiritual – The confusion between God’s voice and the voice of shame.
It ain’t just “stuff”—
It’s sticky because you didn’t just hear it…
You adapted to it.
The Question: What Are You Still Carrying That Was Never Yours?
This is where things get tender.
Because if it’s stuck, it’s likely served a purpose.
Even the wrong things helped us feel safe.
But God’s love is a freeing kind of love.
And maybe—just maybe—He’s whispering,
“You don’t need that anymore.”
What Helps?
Here’s what I’m learning to do:
Notice what makes me shrink or hide.
Name the voice or message behind it.
Place it in God’s hands and ask: Is this from You?
Practice showing up without it—even if I still feel scared.
Sticky stuff loses power when it gets exposed to truth.
Final Thought:
You weren’t made to live glued to the expectations of others.
You were made to move freely in the life God designed for you.
That life may look different.
It may sound odd.
It may not fit the mold.
But it’ll fit you.
And that, my friend, is freedom.
