It's okay to not being doing very well. It's okay to have a really bad day. It's okay not understand what God is doing in your life and why He has placed you in the season that you're currently walking through. It's okay to feel lonely. It's okay to feel as if life is happening around you but you aren't enjoying it all that much. It really is okay.

Society and everyday pressures to succeed weigh so heavy that sometimes it feels like you're going to crumble under the weight of the world. Literally. You are quite literally going to fall flat on your face and give up because it truly all feels like a never ending list. Be a great friend, amazing student, love others hard and well, achieve in the classroom and be involved on campus, workout often, sleep at least eight hours a night, look presentable when you go out in public... the list goes on and on of things that feel like they need to be done perfectly.

While none of these things are inherently bad within themselves, everything in life sometimes feels like it comes at you all at once. It can be super frustrating to be struggling so much, but meet people who seemingly have it all together. But yet you can barely make it to class on time, have five exams this week, and have a huge coffee stain on your shirt. The reality of the situation is this: every single person you ever meet during your life time is not going to have it all together.

They just aren't.

That's the reason we need Jesus so desperately. If we had it all together, we'd have no reason for a Savior. Also, during times of my life where I've felt the most broken, its also when I've felt the most whole. Bare with me as I explain that.

"Authentic faith stems from genuine desperation."

Authentic faith truly does stem from genuine desperation. The seasons where hurt, confusion, and brokenness feel like the only knowns and constants in my life is also the time I've found Jesus the most. Because I really did need Him.

My need and dependence felt so tangible. I quite literally could not make it through the day without depending on something far greater than myself. That's a beautiful and scary concept to grasp. However, that's why I think it really is okay to not be okay. Because in those moments - the raw and real ones where it takes every fiber of your being just to make it through the day, that's when He's shaping us. Molding us. Changing us.

Sharpening us into the person He intended us to be. It's much easier to shed light on struggles and look at the positives after the fact, but truly its a beautiful thing to not be okay because even though we aren't necessarily doing great, we are growing. We are learning. We are breathing. And above all, our dependence on Him is growing. Isn't that the goal, anyway? That we would become so utterly dependent on our Savior.

Bottom line.... next time you have a bad day (not to be pessimistic, but it's bound to happen eventually), it's okay. Look at the opportunities within that hardship to become increasingly more aware that it's really not about you and about something far greater. Also, it's already finished. You don't have to do anything more to prove yourself or perform. The battle is already won.