Many an afternoon I have found myself sitting in my room knowing I need to work on homework and study to keep up with school but having no motivation to reach for my school books. There have been a lot of changes in my life, and if you know me, change isn’t something I handle well. These changes have influenced my physical and emotional state, as well as my motivation to do day-to-day activities.

These changes have put a damper on me. If you ask people that know me well, I am almost always happy and looking for the good in everything. Whether people notice it or not, I have not felt like myself in quite a while. I don’t feel as bubbly as I normally do, and that’s very discouraging to me. In all that has been going on, I feel as though I have lost my true self.

On those afternoons that I struggle with motivation to go to my school books, I find myself reaching for my turquoise and brown Bible. I have been raised in the church all my life, but I haven’t felt closer to God than I have these past couple months. Whether you are Christian, Muslim, Jewish or follow another religion, faith can help you through anything in your life.

Whatever faith you choose to follow, it is a great place to find comfort. For me, I find comfort in knowing that God loves me no matter what I have done or what I will do. It’s easy to try and find comfort in worldly things, whether it’s through things we enjoy or the people we know, but as many people come to find out, those things or people won’t always be there for you in the way you need.

When worldly things fail you, your faith will be there for you. You don’t have to be in a special place or with anyone in particular. Faith can be taken anywhere. I don’t have to have my Bible with me to lean on my faith. I bring my faith with me always. At school I can listen to songs by my favorite Christian bands, say a little prayer and in my car I listen to K-Love, a Christian radio station.

Listening to Christian music, reading my Bible and praying have become part of my daily routine. It is something that completes my day. Rachael Rettner, a senior writer for Live Science studies, wrote in an article that meditation or meditative prayer stimulates areas of the brain that regulate emotional responses. The article also states that strengthening these portions of the brain can help people to be calm, less reactionary and deal better with stressors.

I’m not saying that finding your faith is going to make you calm all of a sudden or take away all your stress. I am still struggling with those things, but my faith has made it easier to handle because I know I have God on my side. I strongly encourage people to find their faith, and it doesn’t just have to be in times of trouble. Being strong in your faith before the hard times can make them so much easier.

Finding and strengthening your faith is not an easy journey. For me, there has been a lot of uncertainty and I have many questions about my life and my journey that can’t be answered by anyone but myself. And for many of those questions, I don’t know the answers yet. It’s a long process and I’ve learned that I need to be patient. Praying definitely helps me be patient and is a good way for me to think out loud and know that God is listening and will answer in His own time.

Another thing that is important to me and growing my faith is getting involved in a youth group and finding a sense of community with people that want to help me grow. A lesson in particular that has stuck with me was about waiting. I feel that in times of trouble it can be hard to wait. We want the pain and the hurt to go away as fast as possible and move on to the next part of our lives. In the Bible, we are told to wait, for something good is coming. Many of us rush on and don’t take the time to wait and truly heal. Waiting is a time for preparation for the next part of your life. And while waiting may feel like a setback, something better is coming and it will come in God’s time when you’re truly ready.

There are times in your life that will feel like you’re left alone and that no one is there for you, but relying on your faith will give you comfort. Trust it. God will take care of you for His power is mighty. All these battles in your life can’t be fought alone. Your faith will fight with you.

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weakness, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weakness, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:9-10.