Chloe
Chloe // 1st Year // Law
A huge part of my struggles as a teenager came from my need to prove myself - to my parents, friends, school and everyone in between. Having had a relatively difficult time during high school, I never felt like I was checking enough boxes to be on par or liked by others, which often translated into anxiety, insecurity and self-hatred. On the other hand, my Christian upbringing made me hyper-aware of how far I had fallen short of the “perfect” Christian life, and while I knew in my head that I was forgiven and redeemed, the guilt about my imperfections and flaws constantly weighed me down.
And so my walk with God has been learning to replace all that with my knowledge of and relationship with a Jesus who died for me to set me free, so that even in the toughest falls I know my eternal value and identity lies not in my circumstances but in Him.
Even when I forget, He has relentlessly reminded me through chats or prayer sessions with Christian friends, or messages and songs at church that no matter how I view myself, or how much I try (and fail) to prove myself, His grace has me covered. His resurrection has come alive for me in such away that I no longer have to carry the weight of my sin and my life on my shoulders, and it's an indescribably freeing feeling.
Life itself hasn’t gotten easier, but in trying every day to place my hope and security out of my hands and into His - as hard as it may be - I've come to find freedom and peace like none other, just as He promises.