I was 17 and at a retreat with my youth group when I came to faith in Christ. But sometimes, being immersed in the church can give you a false sense of the depths of your faith and mine was absolutely tested when I went to college. Once I was living on my own, away from my slightly over protective parents, my faith began to waiver. I quit going to church and presumed because I was an "adult" that I had my life together, which couldn't be further from the truth. When you're in your late teens/early twenties, you think you know everything. Or, maybe you don't, but I sure did! 🙂 By the grace of God, and His relentless pursuit of me, I believe my conviction was what kept me "in check" knowing all the while that I definitely could not claim to be a Jesus follower based off of my decisions and actions. After graduating college, I got married at the ripe age of 23 to a guy that I knew was a bad decision. By 25 we had separated and I moved myself into an apartment two days before Christmas. The divorce happened shortly thereafter and I would define this point in my life as the proverbial "rock bottom". In my desperation, I began to pray relentlessly, immerse myself in the Bible and cry out to the Lord begging him to come heal my heart and restore my life. That's exactly what He did. He used my divorce to grow me in exponential ways that were nothing short of glorious. What I learned about marriage, myself and the depths of the love from my gracious heavenly Father gave me purpose and renewed my self-worth. I got back into church, changed my circle of friends, and committed to a true relationship with Jesus. Not too much later, I began dating my now husband. We had been friends for years, but were finally at a place in our lives that allowed us to fully commit to each other. We were married in 2014 and thanks to those lessons from my previous marriage, I better understand the sanctity of marriage. No matter how broken, unworthy, or hopeless you think you are, please know that you are never too far from Christ. Following Jesus doesn't mean you're going to have a perfect life. In fact, the Bible tells us that if we truly follow Him, we're going to have hardships and struggles! But there is nothing sweeter than knowing Him. I'm so thankful for what He has taught me, and how He still uses my mistakes to bring glory to His name.