Growing up, I often placed pressure on myself to be the most perfect version of myself I could be. Whether it was academic performance or relationships with my family or peers, I wanted my life to seem like I had everything together. I felt I could rely on my own knowledge and abilities to get me through any situation I faced. In times when there wasn’t a quick fix, I could just work a little bit harder until I figured out a way through it. However, beneath the veil of having everything together was a very insecure, but much more honest version of myself that longed for acceptance. Yet this was a part of me that I refused to let others see, for fear that being vulnerable would lead to rejection. It wasn’t until towards the end of high school and my first year of college, having gone through a major low point in my life at the time, that I was confronted with how imperfect I really was, and how much I couldn’t handle life on my own, contrary to my belief that I was completely self-sufficient. At a time when I couldn’t rely on myself, and when I had no one else to turn to, God came into my life and filled a large void that all my academic accolades or other personal life successes couldn’t fill. Instead of constantly seeking acceptance from others, He has already accepted me through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus. Instead of tirelessly striving in vain towards the best possible future, He has declared plans for my life to prosper me. And instead of craving the acceptance of others by trying to be a perfect person, He unconditionally loves me and has adopted me into a family of Christians who value me just as He does. Even still, I often fall short of living as He calls me to, and I have times of reverting back to my old ways of being self-reliant. But as I grow closer to Him, and as those in the faith challenge me to continue seeking after Him – even and especially when times are toughest – I know that I no longer need to rely entirely on myself. While this often means that certain aspects of my life may not pan out exactly as I intend, it all works together for His good purposes. As His son, I have the best life I could ever possibly have, and I wouldn’t trade that for anything. My hope now and going forward is that others around me would experience the same joy and freedom in letting Him work.