faith unfaded

Earlier this year, I was on a travel assignment — the kind that fills my days with new places, new faces, and plenty of stories to write. The experiences were wonderful, the itinerary full. But on the final evening, something happened that made me stop in my tracks and remember what really matters.

One of the women I’d been working with pulled me aside and shared how much she appreciated my unapologetic faith. It was true — I am unashamed to speak freely of the God who saved me, unapologetic of my refusal to separate secular and faith writing. I don’t preach, but I don’t hide my light under a bushel either.

Her religious upbringing had been tenuous and she’d been running from God ever since. Shortly before I came she began feeling a pull to reconnect with the Lord, but hadn’t known if it was possible. Hearing my story of pain and redemption, and the absolute joy that floods my soul today, she realized no one is ever too far gone.

God, in His divine timing, had orchestrated that moment in time for us to connect so that she could reconnect with Him. I realized in that moment that the best portfolio in the world can’t compare with investing in eternity. Building articles and assignments is good — but building lives and pointing hearts to Him is greater.

I also realized something else: I had not been trying to witness or share my faith. I was simply living my life — in my actions and my conversations — without giving it much thought. Because for the first time in my life, I’m no longer performing my way into being a “good Christian.”

It’s the crux of my upcoming book, From Sacrifice to Surrender, and shows how to go from effort to identity in Christ. Somewhere along the way, by God’s grace, I stopped trying so hard and settled into who He designed me to be.

At the end of the day, that’s the beauty of surrender — you don’t have to strive to make it happen. When Christ is your identity, His light shines through without effort. And it matters more than the miles I travel or the stories I write — because the greater story is living for Him, living out loud, and living in the light wherever I go. If He can take a broken, wandering heart like mine and turn it into a testimony, then there’s hope for every single one of us. No story is too far gone, no past too heavy, no distance too great. In Him, we are never beyond reach.