Don’t let your feelings replace your faith—let them fuel it. God’s love stays even when your emotions rise and fall. This is one of the hardest lessons I’ve learned in my life, and yet one of the most freeing.

As a sensitive young girl, I thought my feelings were a problem. Crying meant weakness. Feeling too much meant being too much. I worried that being tender made me less bold, less strong, less enough. I thought if I let my emotions run, they might take over and steer me away from God. And for a long time, I tried to silence them, push them away, or hide them. I tried to be stronger than my own heart, and I failed.

I wake up each morning to a simple rhythm.
Wash my face. Brush my teeth. Cold water to fully wake up.
Tallow on my skin, almond oil because it smells like comfort.
I get dressed—comfort usually wins—and I make coffee, because that part is non-negotiable.

Then I sit on my couch and open my Bible.

Not because I should.
Not to check a box.
But because I fell in love.

Life comes in waves and you can either drown or walk on water. That’s the difference between living this life without Jesus and living with Him. Because in the midst of breathless days, he is the very breath you breathe. When you see the water mounting above you, the storm all around, and you are not sure you can survive any of it, faith is believing the hand of Jesus is outstretched toward you, strong enough to holding you up, and close enough to pull you near. When all you can do is keep your eyes on Him, that is when you walk on water.