“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, and wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.” Luke 14:26

This Bible passage has been in my Twitter bio for over a year. It struck home with me during a time when I didn’t even know who I was as a person. Jesus is saying that if at times you don’t [hate] your friends, family, and even yourself you can’t be his follower. Essentially, He knows you aren’t going to love your life 100% of the time, and that’s okay.

As cheesy as it sounds, Jesus became my best friend.

When it seemed I had no one else to turn to, His words brought me to life. The more I read scripture, the more Jesus’ messages made sense. It’s was comforting to read stories that related to the struggles, and also achievements, that were occurring in my life.

“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life …” Matthew 6:21

It’s so easy to analyze how everyone else lives their life and fret over what I don’t like about my own. The moment I stopped worrying about everything that was so “detrimental” and started focusing on how to improve my own life, the happier I became.

Whenever I was in a bad mood, felt alone, or simply just didn’t want to deal with life, finding scripture that matched my emotions was a healing mechanism. I searched and found passages that pinpointed my exact thoughts. In a sense, reading stories that connected to what I was going through, gave me a sense of comfort– like I wasn’t alone.

People always say when you’re anxious, stressed, or just need a break, to sit with a good book. Making my go to read the Bible changed my life. It doesn’t matter how you’re feeling, scripture can comfort.

Jealous? Proverbs 14:30

Overwhelmed? Psalm 143:3

Anxious? Proverbs 11:25

Think life can’t possibly get any worse? Romans 8:14

Madly in love? 1 Corinthians 13:13

No matter how I’m feeling, knowing that the Lord is by my side just makes me feel warm inside.

It’s knowing that there is ALWAYS one person who will be there for you, and one place you can find happiness.

Even if you aren’t a very religious person, you’d be surprised just how relatable such an old book can be. If all else fails and scripture isn’t for you, just remember:

“I am with you always, even to the end of the age” Matthew 28:20.