![RHOC Alum Lydia McLaughlin Reveals God "Called [Her]" to Quit Show, Admits It Was Hard to "Obey," and Shares How Experience "Jaded" Her](https://realityblurb.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Lydia-McLaughlin-2.jpg)
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As she revealed she’s been spending her post-Bravo life encouraging other women to find themselves in Christ, Lydia looked back on her reality journey, admitting it was difficult to walk away from her role after season eight, sharing her thoughts on the backlash she faced, and explaining why she believes she was cast for the series in the first place.
“God really used the whole experience [on RHOC] to give me a ministry, to give me a platform,” Lydia told The Christian Post. “And it’s so cool looking back and seeing just His plan … Now I’m writing devotionals and a Bible study. He can do more than we can even imagine. I love just surrendering to His will and being obedient. God can make your whole life just flourish.”
While Lydia appeared on just two seasons, she was admittedly unprepared for the criticism she received online — even from her fellow Christians.
“I don’t want to say it jaded me, but it made me sad,” she shared. “I always kind of thought that at the core people are nice, but at the core, people are kind of harsh.”
Years after experiencing life on Bravo, Lydia is reaching out to other women through speaking engagements and books, including her recently-released devotional, JoyFull: 365 Daily Devotions for Women.
“Instead of kind of buying into everything the world is telling us, we need to buy into what God’s telling us,” Lydia stated. “But the only way we can do that is by being intentional. Set up habits in your life where you’re actually fighting the fight and doing the work. … God wants to have a personal encounter with everyone.”
Although Lydia laughed off the idea of starring on a reality show at first, she felt called by God to “build a wall for my people,” and husband Doug McLaughlin, pressed her to do so. However, after appearing on season eight in 2013, she found herself overwhelmed by fame.
“I just felt really convicted that, no, God is calling me to leave,” she recalled. “And that was really, really hard for me because I didn’t understand God … It was like this real internal kind of conflict that I had.”
“[But] I think, if I would have obviously disobeyed Him and stayed on the show, I would not be where I am today,” she continued. “And I feel like I’m just right in the fold of God’s purpose for my life. And that’s a really sweet place to be. I’m so grateful.”
“I was just obedient. And I left the show. And it was a really hard decision. But it was the right decision,” she added, noting she received a prophesy during a retreat that said she should “return to the palace.”
But after leaving RHOC and welcoming a third son, she returned in 2017 for season 12.
“I was able to use it as a ministry for one more year,” she revealed.
The Real Housewives of Orange County season 17 airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on Bravo.