Life can be hard and confusing. It’s really easy to get overwhelmed and not know where to turn. Life is full of questions and worries. I used to get caught up in those things really easily. The result of that uneasiness is immense stress and anxiety. Once I found my Christian faith, I started finding answers. I started finding that place to turn and because of that, I'll never turn back.

Here's 5 things my faith continually does for me.

1. It gives me purpose.

Until I found my faith I found myself feeling anxious more often than not. Now when I have that anxiety I have somewhere to turn. Through prayer and reading my bible, I’m now able to feel comfort and assurance in the midst of the stress. I definitely don’t have all the answers because that would be impossible but I do have a stronger sense of peace. I don’t know what will happen in my life but I do know that I’m taken care of. I’m never alone and I know that no matter what happens, I’ll be okay.

2. It gives me a foundation.

My whole life I’ve felt the need to prove my worth to others. I still struggle with this because it’s human nature. When I rely on other peoples approval for my own personal satisfaction and purpose, it’s really easy to feel inadequate and like a failure. Through finding my faith, I’ve started to realize that I am enough. I’m enough not because of anything I do, but because God created me and shows me grace and love no matter what. I don’t have to prove anything to other people to be loved and accepted. Instead, now I focus on living my life for God because I can and because I want to.

3. It gave me a second family.

Because of my longing for approval from the people around me, I’ve often felt alone and rejected. Since finding my church family, I’ve felt connected and cared for more genuinely than I ever have before. I’ve always had a group of friends that I spend my time with but the faith-based relationships I’ve formed recently have come to feel like true family and that is something really special that I wouldn’t trade for anything.

4. It makes me happy.

I’m questioned a lot about why I believe what I believe, why I go to church and why it’s so important to me. While there are many reasons and answers to these questions, the most simple and true answer I can give is “because it makes me happy.”

5. It saved my life.

The last few years have been really rough for me. I often questioned my purpose in life and my significance in the world. I have struggled with depression and anxiety as well as a general sense of worthlessness. Through all of the reasons above, my life has changed. I’m a different person than I was a year ago. I’m a person now who values life and truly wants to be on this earth. Life is still hard and I still struggle but I now know that I’m right where I’m supposed to be and that life is worth living.