I understand that everyone has different preferences on religion and how spiritual they are in their life if they choose to be spiritual or religious at all. However, growing up, my family was very religious. My father is a preacher and my family was all extremely set on following in Christ's footsteps.

As I grew older, I understood more of why everything was so pressured on me. At one point, I started to take a step away, but it ended up being the wrong decision. The further I walked away, the more things seemed to fall apart. As I walked away from God, my depression and anxiety went to an all-time high. Everything around me seemed to be coming down around me at extreme rates. I was unhappy with myself and I was unhappy with my life.

When I finally realized that I needed God in my life, I took the time to get that back. I got right with the Lord to fix things in my life. Obviously, life isn't perfect and never will be, but having this lifestyle is extremely powerful and truly helps in so many ways.

I pray every day. I thank God for those around me and for waking up every morning. I think God for the good days, as well as the bad days. Because every bad day has a good day coming. When one door closes, another door opens. And that has become very, very clear to me over the past couple of years.

Recently, my grandmother was diagnosed with breast cancer. At first, I blamed God. How could he put her in this kind of pain and make her and our family struggle in such a way that is indescribable? At first, I blamed God, but then I remembered that absolutely everything happens for a reason. Whether we know what that reason is or not, whether we ever know what the reason is, it happens for a reason. God allowed this pain to happen for a reason. He tests our faith every day with things we never expect to happen.

I choose to pray because I believe and I know that there is a God above who loves me and who favors me. I know that He will help me grow and pick me up when I fall. I know that when I have no one else, He will always be there.

That is why I choose to pray.