# data[].attributes.body
You’ve seen the tears I’ve wept, the times I wanted to give up. It has been hard for me to minister to my family. I get persecuted for being a follower of You — taking it against me when I make mistakes. It’s been hard, but God, I know You are faithful. I know that You are using me to be the light in my family. Thank You, God in advanced for the victory that comes from You. God, I pray for strength to run this race, for humility to rise up when I talk to my family, for kindness and grace to overflow in me. God, may I experience Your never-failing love. I surrender this cross and hardship to You. May I always look at my crosses in the light of faith and not on what I can do, but on what You can do. Anything is possible with You. I love You, God. I am expectant to see how You are going to sustain me in my current crosses.

# data[].attributes.body
I know that I sometimes fail in remembering to talk to you, especially when I am struggling. Currently, I am facing difficulties with balancing my academics and personal life. I feel discouraged and drained at times but I am asking for your help and guidance to get through this. Give me the wisdom, patience, and perseverance throughout this semester to achieve my goals. Be with me all throughout this journey, as you are who I need the most.

# data[].attributes.body
I do not talk to you a lot but I dislike that it's usually at times wherein I need your help the most that I want to talk to you. I think because of that, I grew shy. I didn't really want to rely on you because of my shortcomings. I have my cross of academics and being the eldest brother of my family. Now that life is getting tougher and that I'm getting through it more, I realize I need someone to accompany me. Someone who has my best interests at heart. Thank you for accompanying and guiding me unconditionally. I pray that I continue accepting your grace and work.

Amen.

# data[].attributes.body
Many days, I feel anxious and worried about what the future holds for me. I pray that You may give me the strength and spiritual guidance to carry on despite these crosses, and to eventually overcome them.

# data[].attributes.body
I pray that you give me the strength and the courage to carry my crosses and look forward not with despair but hope and faith. I pray you give me the ability to see the love around me, pray that I believe in myself despite the difficulties I carry as I pursue my desire for vocation and spiritual fulfillment.

# data[].attributes.body
These days, I struggle to find the strength to keep going as I am exhausted by thoughts of failure, inadequacy, and hopelessness. I struggle to focus on a purpose that would drive me to keep going amidst the difficulties I face. Give me the strength to overcome my fears and insecurities, and to move forward with confidence and courage. May I find comfort in Your love and grace, knowing that You are always with me, guiding me through life's challenges.

Amen.

# data[].attributes.body
I have not talked to you in a long while and now I'm doing so through means of requirements. I have long been meaning to reconnect and strengthen my faith but I always think that I do not have the time nor put in the effort to really do so. I carry so many dreams that they have burdened me, and I cannot find the time to connect with you while I still carry them even though it makes most sense that I ask for your help. I hope to one day find it in myself to connect with you the way I used to, only this time, no longer doing so through coercion.

Amen.

# data[].attributes.body
Lately, I have been constantly doubting myself. I pray that You grant me the strength to overcome these battles, and help me in recognizing the intrinsic worth that You have bestowed upon me. May Your love serve as my solace that will guide me towards a deeper understanding and acceptance of myself.

Amen.

# data[].attributes.body
I carry the weight of stress and pressure from my academics. I'm tired and discouraged at times. I pray for Your grace to find the strength to finish this semester strong and still have time for myself, my friends, and family. Please walk with me on this journey.

Amen.

# data[].attributes.body
I always feel that I am not good enough. I try hard but not hard enough because I am afraid that if I exert all my effort and realize that it is not enough, then I will learn the truth that I am not as good as I think I should be. Please guide me to finding out my gifts, as I am very lost and confused. Please help assure me that I am doing well and that I am on the right path. I am scared that I will never reach my own and others' expectations of me. Please let me know that those do not matter and only Your will is important. I put all my trust in you.

Amen.

# data[].attributes.body
I ask that you guide me to find ways on how I can approach my future with my head up high. Please guide me to find the version of myself that can find confidence, courage and help me learn how to be proud of who I am. Guide me through these tough times and help me emerge as someone worthy of being in your likeness. I thank you for all of the blessings that you have given me and hope you keep to watch over me and my family. Amen.

# data[].attributes.body
Dear Lord,

I deal with a lot of fear and anxiety. I wish to lift them up to you and entrust you with these crosses I carry. I pray that you grant me the grace to deal with it and the courage to overcome it. I trust you with my heart and every intention it holds.

Amen.

# data[].attributes.body
Dear Lord,

I come before you with the crosses of stress from work and academics that weigh upon me. I humbly entrust these burdens to your loving care, knowing that you understand my struggles.

Please grant me the grace to remove anxiety from my heart, replacing it with your peace that surpasses all understanding. Help me to trust that you are in control of all things and that your divine plan will guide me through these challenges.

In Jesus' name, I pray, amen.

# data[].attributes.body
I have definitely been going through a rollercoaster of emotions this past year. Maneuvering through life with the overwhelming pressure that has been laid upon me has been a treacherous journey however through your grace and support I have learned from it and have become stronger from it.

Through these crosses I have learned to accept the challenges that you have faced me with, as I know that you have a plan for me. I trust in you that I will be lead to true fulfillment in life and unimaginable happiness. I shall do my best to reach my full potential as Your child.

# data[].attributes.body
Recently, I have been feeling a mix of emotions — happy and content with life but also sad and incomplete. I want to be able to learn how to fill in these holes of sadness by keeping myself moving or discovering new things and activities.

You have seen me go through these emotions and I can say that I am truly grateful for the love, guidance, and strength you have given me. Thank you for pushing me to become a better person by giving me the motivation to take action in order to overcome these crosses in my life.

With this, I ask for your continuous guidance, forgiveness, and grace as they give me the courage and motivation to go through and accept my struggles and sufferings. I believe that you will give me many better days to come.

# data[].attributes.body
Almighty God,

I'm in an undeniably better place now, but I still haven't completely let go of the pressure weighing me down. The pressure of having to do well in everything that I do, whether it be academics or organizational work. Along with that, it does not help that I'm dealing with a sickness that has been effectively making me feel demotivated and has significantly decreased my quality of life. Therefore I wish to entrust you of these specific crosses in my life right now.

With that, I only wish for Your guidance so I may be guided to choose and do what is right amongst all of these challenges. I know this is only a part of a bigger and better whole which is Your plan for me. Please do give me courage so I may be able to bravely face such challenges in life instead of hiding in fear.

Amen.

# data[].attributes.body
My cross right now is that I'm so lonely and tired. With your help, God, I have had a much better time managing my emotions and self over the past 5 years. No longer am I suffering from depression and anxiety, and I'm stronger now because of what I have learned through you. But still, despite me having friends and family members, and people who rely on me, I still feel so lonely with no person I can confide my innermost thoughts to. I no longer cry or panic easily, but I don't know how to deal with things aside from forcing myself to suck it all up. I don't know what path I'm going to take in the future, I have many worries about how I'm going to make a meaningful life for myself.

Lord, please give me courage to continue doing what I should, courage to continue moving past my anxieties and comfort zones.

# data[].attributes.body
It's been a difficult time over the past few months, and You know how much I told You that I cannot remember the last time when I was truly happy again. Those times were really tiring and stressful, Lord. I am thankful that You are there for me, listening whenever I get home late from a very tiring day. It feels as if there was nothing good happening to me in each day--or rather, seeing the good in every day was difficult. On top of it all, the hardest thing is being brought back down even after doing my best to put myself back up again. At those times, it was difficult to sleep or even wake up.

Lord, thank you for allowing me to persevere and be in a relatively better position today. Even then, I still have crosses that I have yet to carry, realize, and solve. Please give me the strength so that I may not be discouraged in this life's trials. Help me remember the reasons behind my choices, and provide me the strength to trust in myself as well during the times I will fail to do so. Help me not to deteriorate, Lord. I trust that You will not leave me alone. Thank you, Lord.

# data[].attributes.body
Dear Lord,

It's been a while since I last sat down and had an intentional conversation with you. For that, I'm sorry. I've been so pre-occupied by so many things in my life, especially my academics, that I sometimes tend to forget why and Whom I am actually doing all of these for. Lord, I ask that you give me the courage to be more trusting of you -- to learn to surrender. I do not like this state that I am in Lord.

I want to be a more faithful and obedient servant to you, Lord, but sometimes, it is hard. With this, I ask for your grace. May Your Voice be the loudest Voice in my life and may You grant me the eyes to see what you have been doing in me and through me. I also pray, Lord, that you help me grow a deeper appreciation for the current context/season that you have placed me in. Remind me that, as I venture through this, I do not have to carry and face things alone because You are with me.

Thank you, Lord, for loving me, no matter what. Help me see that more, Lord, so I can also share this love that You have, so unconditionally, been giving to me to others.

Amen.

# data[].attributes.body
May I be guided and motivated to move forward as I carry my crosses with me in my daily life; maintaining my relationships, academic and financial pressures, as well as worries with my personal health.
While I know getting over worries is no easy task, I am happy to at least know that I have people who can support me in my journey through life.

# data[].attributes.body
Hi, God. It's me again.

I've been talking to you more times these past two weeks than I have in months - but that doesn't mean I doubt that you're listening. It's just been really rough and I wanted to know and feel that someone up there is looking out for me... I should know that that's the case, but sometimes it's just difficult to feel it.

My heart has been heavy with the heavy expectations I've imposed upon myself. I chose this cross but, so help me - it's forcing me to exert effort more than I normally can.

The beauty in it, though, is that I found solace in friendship and comraderie. I pray Lord for the strength, resillience, and capacity for love to help me in taking care of my friends and loved ones amidst my own struggles. They matter to me more than my own preoccupations - but I need your help to be able to care for them the way you would.

I am tired, but I am humbled and I will grow stronger. Please help me become the best version of me that I can be. I am only as you will me - so help me God.

# data[].attributes.body
Dear Lord,
Thank you for your overflowing love and guidance. I come to you today bearing the cross of my worries, the problems that have been weighing down on me thus far. I pray that you give me the strength to carry on forward, and I trust that everything will be alright in your hands.

# data[].attributes.body
Dear Lord,

I ask that you help me with my crosses of insecurities, lukewarmness, stagnation, fears of newness, and stressors. I seek your grace in your patience and guidance in this journey, as well as someone I can journey with through hardships.

# data[].attributes.body
Dear God,

I admit that I am having a hard time right now wherein every aspect of my life is difficult and it’s shattering my faith. I am deeply sorry for that. However, despite my circumstances I know that You are always there for me even at times I do not see it myself. Therefore, I thank You genuinely for not leaving me and for continuously loving me even at my lowest.

I do not wish for the trials You have provided me to stop, however, please guide me with patience and strength to keep going and fulfill Your plans for me.  I trust that all the things you have given me are for my greater good. Enlighten me with what I must do to overcome my suffering and pain to obtain the peace in accordance with Your will.

Amen.

# data[].attributes.body
Lord, during this point in my life, I wish to offer up to you the cross of my family. I seek your grace of patience and charity in dealing with the difficulties that my family face, whether it be my parents with their daily struggles at home or with me and my siblings in our studies. May you help us all gain the strength to be patient and the grace to continue persevering.

# data[].attributes.body
I am in distress from all the aspects in my life that pressures me as of the moment. There are numerous times I wanted to give up in carrying these crosses until the very end. I feel hopeless every time I face a situation that I deemed hard and challenging. Rather than it motivating me to go out of my comfort zone, it only becomes a cross that has so much weight to the point that it has the ability to bring me down.

With this Lord, I ask for Your guidance in this venture of mine. I am thankful that despite me not consistently conversing with You, You were always there for me, ready to help me in all my endeavors. I humbly ask for your presence to help me get through the challenges I need to face. I pray that I gain courage and resiliency to face my struggles head on and never giving up.

In Jesus name, Amen.

# data[].attributes.body
I am at loss in words. I just want to cry it all out to you. However, I am not sure how long that would take. Still, I find myself crying as I type this out to You. Everything just feels so heavy right now; that even though I know You are always there, helping me and holding me together, I cannot help but feel tired. I cannot help but long for the time I finally return Home. However, that cannot happen yet because I have not accomplished the mission You have for me. What is it? Even right now, I still find myself asking You about it.

I need You, God. It would be impossible for me to carry or even overcome these crosses alone. I pray for Your strength and for Your courage to build more of my heart. I pray that I remember more of You and more of how You love me, despite my imperfections and inadequacies that people, even myself, judge me for. I pray that I learn to have Your voice be the loudest I hear, so that it becomes clear to me what vocation and career You want me to pursue.

Please help me, God. I cannot do all of these alone and without You.

Nevertheless, thank You for always being there, especially at times when I tend to lean more towards the sad path. Thank You for always blessing me with Your love, especially at times when I least deserve it.

Amen.

# data[].attributes.body
I am grateful for the life you have given me. However, there are moments when I feel like everything that I do is not enough; that I am not enough. I know that life can be harsh but sometimes, it just is too painful for me to carry.

Please help me overcome my fears and help me face with courage the challenges I may face or already facing. I know that I am studying here for a reason; however, there are moments when I feel like I am an impostor. I push, push, push myself but it is always not enough. I pray that I will have the courage to accept my shortcomings, that I am doing my best to survive. Please guide me as I face the difficulties in life and help me find the strength to finish college with an intact heart and mind.

Amen.

# data[].attributes.body
Lord, thank you for your everlasting guidance. I am currently dealing with a lot of things in my life, though your divine grace and providence has provided me with a ray of hope. From dealing with academic stress to personal mental health issues, I admittedly forget to take breaks and calm myself. With this in mind, I need to remember to exercise proper self-care, for it is good for both the mind and soul; in doing so, I also hope to reconnect with you in moments of introspection and reflection.

All of this being said, I pray that you continue to guide me in my life journey. Give me the courage, perseverance, and strength to continue going, as there is always hope through you and your everlasting love.

Amen.

# data[].attributes.body
As much as I want to be grateful of what life brings me, there are times that I struggle to be thankful because of the harsh realities things can be. In effect, I tend to push people away and I even turn my back against my own self. Please show me light and courage to overcome it and help me realize that there is always hope in spite of bad moments.

As I navigate my life as a young adult, it is easy to be lost due to the pressure I get from other people that I forget to see that my life has its own pace and it is okay to breathe and take things one step at a time.

I know I may have made mistakes but with Your wisdom and courage, I will be motivated to be better for myself and for other people.

Please always watch over my loved ones and may they also get the encouragement and light You give.

Amen.

# data[].attributes.body
I come before you with the crosses I bear, the burdens I carry, and the challenges I face in my face in my life. In moments of doubt and fear, I seek your grace and guidance.
Grant me the courage to face these trials with unwavering faith, to trust in your divine plan, even when it seems obscured. Help me find strength in my moments of weakness and hope in my moments of despair.
As I journey through life's ups and downs, may your grace be a constant source of light, illuminating my path and offering solace in my darkest hours.
In your wisdom, I place my trust, and in your love, I find strength to carry my crosses with grace. Thank you for your presence in my life, for the grace you bestow, and for the unwavering love that sustains me.

Amen.

# data[].attributes.body
Lord, I am grateful to You because I believe that in everything that I do, Your are always there to support me. I may have so much crosses that I am carrying now, such as my academic stress, but because of You, it becomes a little bit more bearable. Through my faith in You, I will be able to overcome this cross of mine.

# data[].attributes.body
Lord, I am grateful for everything that you have done for me and everything that you continue to do for me. I know that I am struggling right now and sometimes ii does take a toll on me. My relationships, my academics and my overall well-being feel at a crossroads right now. however, I know you are there to guide me and help me along my journey to become better and happier.

# data[].attributes.body
The crosses I carry impale deep into my very personhood: a paralyzing fear that all I do is never enough and will amount to nothing. No matter how much assurance I get from myself and from others, at my core, I feel incapable of my talents and capabilities. The intrusive, debilitating thoughts in my head tell me I'm never good enough, sometimes falling for its trap and ending up deep in a rabbit hole of darkness—an inescapable void as the light slowly fades.

Yet this fear, I've learned to entrust with the Lord; that it's not always the results that matter, but rather the choices that we make everyday in line with our unwavering faith in Him. I pray that despite me not knowing how the future will turn out that the Lord wills me towards His greater plan. I pray for His continuous grace to assure me that I will be okay and that these fears and anxieties will be extinguished by His ever-encompassing love.

# data[].attributes.body
I am very grateful that you have never left me alone and that you would always provide. Thank you for giving me your grace and all these opportunities I am currently enjoying. I would like to entrust my crosses to you. Ever since college, I feel disappointed on myself. From being an achiever ever since young, I feel mediocre here. I always feel tired and I felt demotivated doing things. In addition, I can see my mother in pain due to her sickness. With this, strengthen me o Lord that I may find the beauty and motivation in life again. Help me serve you with all sincerity. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

# data[].attributes.body
Lord, thank you for providing me an opportunity to talk about my crosses at the perfect time. I am asking for your help to please help me with my social anxiety that cripples me from trying new things and talking to more people. Please help me overcome my cross by instilling me with confidence or helping me find new avenues to gain confidence.
This would help me progress and slowly remove my cross. I humbly ask for your grace and guidance to overcome this cross, Lord.

Amen.

# data[].attributes.body
Dear Lord,
Thank you for giving me this opportunity, a chance to talk about my crosses and to entrust them to you. The crosses I'm carrying right now are incomparable to yours but I am humbly asking for your help and enlightenment. I am having a hard time meeting people's expectations that it questions my existence, as well as my capabilities. It is very hard to understand everything in such a fast-paced environment. I am confused with how I'm supposed to grow when I am mentally and emotionally scared of being out of my comfort zone. My anxiety keeps getting bigger and bigger that sometimes, I break down and cry. I am deeply sorry for experiencing these outbursts of emotions which hinders my task of fulfilling my vocation. Therefore, I sincerely ask for your grace in order to surpass these sufferings in my life. Please grant me courage to embrace and overcome my cross. Please help me to become more compassionate. Please give me patience as I take a step outside of my comfort zone. Help me understand the main point and reason of doing all these, which is to serve you and share in the fulfillment of your mission and promise for us. This I ask through your Mighty name, Amen.

# data[].attributes.body
Lord, I am both aware and grateful that my crosses are not as heavy as others. Even then, I would still like to entrust my uncertain future to You. Every time I take a step forward, the more unclear my tomorrow becomes. Dreams, goals and aspirations were always so foreign to me that even now I'm still unsure of what I want to be, especially now that I'm gaining more limitations due to my health problems. However, as my cross is still bearable I will only ask for Your grace to always be with me. There hasn't been a day where I am totally alone and I know that there will be a time where I will. However, although I know You won't leave me, when that day comes I hope that You will be there with me. Just with that, I would feel that my cross will become immensely lighter.

Amen.

# data[].attributes.headline
What will the rest of my college years look like?

# data[].attributes.subject
What will the rest of my college years look like?

# data[].attributes.body
Lord, I thank you for granting me the strength after the previous academic year. It was challenging and even if things did not go how I wanted, I still did not give up. As this new year unfolds, it strengthens my belief that it was really for the best.

I still have many obstacles to go through before I can officially shift to my new program, but I feel blessed that you have granted me opportunities to better myself as a person. Through your grace, I think that I have become a more patient and understanding person to my peers. I have become a more careful, resourceful, and assertive person.

If there's one more thing I ask, please guide me on how I can use my skills to help others around me. Direct me towards a gap that I was placed here to fill.

Amen.

# data[].attributes.body
The cross I am carrying right now is overloading my entire being. I feel tremendous pressure from trying to atleast make some use of my life right now. I feel helpless and hopeless and I feel like I am just wasting my life away. Additionally, I am not making matters better by constantly beating up myself for being slow in achieving excellence and the necessary skills to make use of myself in this world. The diffferent factors I mentioned seems to be weighing down my mind to the point that my brain cannot function properly. I don't know and I cannot properly identify what I need from you lord, but I hope you can give me the guidance and the perseverance I badly need right now. I ask my batchmates to pray with me in hopes that each one of us may carry our crosses with love and dignity.

# data[].attributes.body
Dear God, I hope to realize that the academic, organizational, and other personal crosses I carry are for your greater glory.

I pray that you give me the strength to continue carrying these crosses, no matter the circumstance, so that I may be able to live out what it means to be your follower and believer. While these crosses seem particularly heavy right now as its responsibilities become more concrete, I trust in you and the will you have for me.

Amen.

# data[].attributes.body
Something that has been bothering me lately is the fact that I feel like I'm not able to allow myself any time to rest due to my academic responsibilities. Additionally, I have been feeling physically ill, yet I cannot give myself time to heal and recuperate, due to all the deadlines and requirements. Aside from that, I live far from my family and I have only myself to rely on. I miss home, yet I cannot go home.

I hope that God will be able to help me see the goodness in my life even I'm constantly feeling like nothing is going my way. I hope that God will help me and guide me through all the hardships that I face.

# data[].attributes.body
My current cross right now is the fact that I am unable to manage my emotions and have a hard time communicating because I am torn between pleasing other people or trying to communicate the truthfulness of what I want to say. I am afraid that I may hurt someone because of what I say.

But I see that this may be my strength as my strong empathy and carefulness will lead me to greater things. Saying the truth and being empathizing will be able to help me give love to others.

# data[].attributes.body
Dear God, I keep falling into temptation and wondering if I am truly deserving of Your Kingdom and grace. Every day, I struggle to make the right choices. I struggle to stop sinning, even if I know better.

Please bless me with the grace of temperance so I can embody Your will and pursue the path You have planned for me. Please bless me with the enthusiasm and fortitude to keep on going, especially right now, when it is easier to quit. I really need Your presence right now. I want to become better for You.

# data[].attributes.body
My cross right now is the burden of balancing my personal life and academics. I wish to balance these responsibilities to better myself and the environment I move around. Sheer will and determination won't help me bear this cross and as such I ask for God's guidance and His will be done gracefully in my life.

# data[].attributes.body
My cross right now is the internal pressure to succeed in both my academics and in my future career. In the past, many of my opportunities for growth were given to me, and all I had to do was passively receive it. However, I realized that the real world doesn't work this way and that you have to actively seek out these opportunities to succeed. And so now, instead of finding joy in whatever I'm doing, there's always a nagging feeling at the back of my mind that I need to do better.

And so I ask God for the grace of humility and meekness to help me embrace and overcome my cross. I need to be constantly reminded that how I will do in life will not be determined by me but by God. I need to accept my limitations and instead do things to the best of my abilities for the glory of God.

# data[].attributes.body
My cross right now is balancing the work I have to do. I had no struggle with academic work, but when org work came into play, I was overwhelmed. Org work suddenly became a priority above my acads and personal life, due to the urgency of each assignment I was given. I've become pressured and mentally tired, which I have not experienced in a long time. However, I realized that these are struggles that come with my responsibility of an officer of an org.

I ask the Lord for the grace of perseverance and finding the joy in what I do. With these, I can change the way I encounter my cross. With Jesus, I can learn to embrace this struggle rather than to turn away from it.

# data[].attributes.body
I’m not religious, so I will just try my best to answer these questions.

Managing my stress and impatience regarding acads. I have a lot of group projects this sem, and sometimes, thing’s just don’t go as planned. I like having plans for most things, just because it gives me some peace of mind knowing what I can do, but working with people with different schedules can be difficult. Oftentimes it has led to cramming and just a lot of stress that I find unnecessary. This trouble communicating my stress, along with my impatience, is what I feel I need to work on so I can be more calm and communicate my problems to the people concerned.

I need to learn to calm down and be more confident in communicating my thoughts to other people to avoid misunderstandings and to work with them better. I know that other people have their own crosses to bear, which has led me to bottling up my thoughts and emotions, in a probably misguided attempt in not adding more problems to another person’s plate. To overcome these crosses, I need to practice and have the courage to communicate with people.

# data[].attributes.body
Balancing both career and acads. It is very challenging for me to pursue my dreams at the same time. Sometimes I cant find the inspiration or be motivated to push myself to move forward because of the hardship along the way.

I require greater motivation for what I'm doing and dedication to get to the the correct path I want. As I pursue my desire, may the Lord grant me the strength to get through the difficulties that lie ahead.

# data[].attributes.body
My current cross that I am carrying is being overwhelmed with work that I want to do, but having not enough time. I am doing so many things at once in terms of career and academics that I find myself getting tired more often.

In order to overcome my cross, I would need patience with myself and to focus on one thing at a time in order to avoid burn out.

# data[].attributes.body
Balancing all of the responsibilities I have in my life is exhausting to the point that I rarely have time for myself or my loved ones -- Hence, that is currently my biggest cross.

I need focus, determination, and clarity of mind in order to overcome this cross of mine.

# data[].attributes.body
I'm not a believer so I will answer this to the best of my abilities.

I used to be obsessed with control. So, if things didn't go as I expected or wanted to, I used to blame myself a lot. Like, how a friend would drift away from me despite doing everything in my power to keep us together, or how my mistakes led to irreversible consequences that I dwell upon with guilt. Succumbing to the path of suffering was always the familiar one because I often went down it alone.

My crosses of insecurity in my future and in myself are things I actively need to have the courage to work on, but they are also things I need to let go of. I can't control depression, but I can open up about it. I don't have to be alone. It's like accepting that suffering will always be a part of me, but it will never define me.

The grace I need to help me embrace and overcome these crosses is simply love. Whenever I feel the most suffering, I always find myself thankful for my friends or random strangers I meet, as if it were divine timing. I want to receive love as much as I give it. I want to give so much love that I feel worthy of receiving it as well.