No struggle diminishes God’s opinion of you or your status as a believer. We are saved by grace—not by whether or not we struggle—and we’re kept by grace, not by our perfect emotions or behavior.

You’re not less of a Christian or a person if you struggle with anxiety, depression, or any mental illness. If you’re struggling, please reach out to someone—your pastor, your best friend, whomever—and please seek help (your doctor or a mental health professional can help you determine the best steps). It’s okay to seek professional help. There’s been a stigma on this topic in Christian circles, and we need to know that it’s normal and okay to need help. 

Jesus wants our attention more than He wants our activity. We’ve bought the lie that our focus needs to be on our sins. We’re constantly sold a “sin- management” message—that we need to manage our sins and straighten up. But the more we focus on our sins, the more we sin. The Bible invites us to focus on Jesus, not our sins (Hebrews 12:1–2), because the more we focus on Jesus, the less we sin.

Jesus offers us Himself—not “five steps to rest” or a “four-fold path to peace” or a list of instructions to achieve rest for our souls. What is striking about this invitation is that He’s actually inviting us to Himself to work.

I used to think the focus of the Christian life was serving God. But do you realize that Jesus came to serve and not be served (Matthew 20:28)? The beginning point of our relationship with Christ is receiving, not achieving. It’s about letting Christ do for us what we could never do on our own. Sure, we serve Him and do good works, but these are not the foundation of our faith. Jesus is.

The core message of the gospel is that Christ is in you. The first message God gave humanity, when sending down His Son, was “God is with you.” That’s Jesus’s name—Immanuel, meaning “God with us.” For Him to not be with you would mean He would cease to exist. Many of us have believed a partial gospel. We thought the gospel was just about being forgiven and going to heaven one day. But the rest of the gospel is that Christ has joined Himself to you, right here and now.

One of my new favorite verses comes from a story in Mark 9 about a father whose son was possessed by a demon. The father cried out, “I do believe; help my unbelief ” (v. 24). This is our journey too. There will be moments when you believe Jesus is in you, and there will be (many) moments you need Him to help you believe. It’s God’s full-time job to convince you that He is in you always. It’s His heart’s desire to help you.

Remember: It’s not about feeling the presence of God within you. It’s about knowing that no matter what you feel, God is fully present—all the time.

One lie about our identity is that we are what we do. This is why so many Christians are running around calling themselves “sinners.” We believe that we are defined by our sins. But according to Scripture, we did nothing to become sinners. That’s right, the apostle Paul says we’re all born in Adam and therefore all sinners (Romans 5:19)). In the same way, we do nothing for us to become righteous or to get in Christ. We were reborn that way. This is what it means to be born again.

You’re not alone in your hurt and pain. And you don’t need to be ashamed of the things that have brought you hurt or pain. Jesus’s goal is to heal us, not hurt us. We need to recognize that Jesus is for us and longs for us to start believing truth that will set us free. The promise of Scripture is that we can be “transformed by the renewing of [our] mind” (Romans 12:2)

Sometimes, I’m not very good at communicating with God. Prayer can feel weird, pointless, and difficult. But prayer—or simply, talking with God—allows us to speak directly to our great Comforter. God loves to hear you! He wants to know your needs. The promise of Philippians 4:19 is, “My God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus” (NIV ).