Sometimes life becomes too much. You look at the events transpiring around you, and you need to take a step back. It’s so easy to tell someone to rely on faith and God during hardships, but taking that advice yourself can be difficult. There are moments in our lives when the weight of the world is consuming us, and it feels like the only option is to distance ourselves from family, friends, church, and God. These moments can teach you more about your personal strength than the times you feel most confident in yourself. You may be thinking I’m some heathen for saying that it’s okay to distance yourself from God, but hear me out.

Sometimes you need sin and sadness to find yourself and Him.

There’s no pretty formula to how you’ll deal with grief. Every so often, things happen to us that we can’t explain or comprehend. You may need a breather – a time to just numb the pain, a moment to forget the rules that, instead of protecting you, got you hurt. Giving in to temptation is easier than facing what has happened.

Faking it is only a temporary solution. You can only pretend that everything is okay and that “numbing it better” works for so long. Eventually, everything you were running from in the first place catches up. In this moment, it’s okay to feel broken. It’s okay to feel like you’ve been let down. It’s okay to feel sad. Realizing that you’ve been through something is the first step, but accepting it can be harder. Needing to work through things on your own may be necessary.

I've been there. I've learned more about myself in the last four months than ever before. I've come to a deeper understanding of what my calling in life is because of what I've been through, and I know that I'm strong enough to take the necessary steps to achieve this calling, despite what anyone else may think. If I didn't take a brief hiatus in my relationship with God during a rough patch in my life, I wouldn't know my own strength or how important He is in my life.

So when I see you back at church, I won’t ask you where you’ve been. I’ll say, “I’m happy you’re home!” I’ll be happy that you’ve found your way back, and leave the judgement at the door. Why you had to take a step back isn’t important. You’re home, and that’s all that matters. I hope you’ll do the same for me.

"The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places." - Ernest Hemingway.