20. October 2026

Jesus, Joy, and a Party

I have survived abuse, sexual assault, neglect, infidelity, chronic illnesses, and more. I know what it feels like to wait for life to get better—to think, “Once this is over, then I can finally be happy.”I have survived abuse, sexual assault, neglect, infidelity, chronic illnesses, and more. I know what it feels like to wait for life to get better—to think, “Once this is over, then I can finally be happy.”

But I don’t want to spend the rest of my life waiting to live.

What changed for me was Jesus.

Now, if you don’t know much about God or Jesus, stay with me. You don’t have to know your way around a Bible to understand what I’m saying. Maybe you consider yourself spiritual. Maybe you believe there is something bigger than us, but you aren’t sure what—or who—that is. Maybe you have questions.

You’re welcome here. Questions and all.

For me, faith means trusting that God loves me, that Jesus came to bring me into a relationship with Him, and that my story doesn’t end with everything I have survived.

Christians believe that Jesus is God’s Son, that He died for our sins—the ways we hurt one another and fall short of God’s goodness—and that He rose from the dead. Because of Him, we can receive forgiveness, know God, and have life with Him that continues beyond death.

That is a whole lot to celebrate!

Yes, I said celebrate, as in PARTY! And people think Christians are boring.

But my joy isn’t only about Heaven someday. Knowing I am loved gives me a reason to live differently today.

That doesn’t mean I wake up every morning feeling wonderful. I still have hard days. I still have chronic illnesses. What happened to me still happened, and believing in Jesus doesn’t make those things okay.

It means those things don’t get to have the final word about who I am or where my life is going.

For a long time, I was so focused on what was going wrong that I missed what was still good. A meal. A safe place to sleep. Someone who cared. A moment of laughter in the middle of a difficult day.

I was waiting for everything to get better before I gave myself permission to enjoy anything.

I’m not waiting anymore.

I am learning to trust God with what I cannot control and appreciate what is in front of me. Some days, that trust sounds confident. Other days, it sounds like, “God, I don’t understand any of this, and I need Your help.”

I believe I can come to Him either way.

One Bible passage I return to is Jeremiah 29:11–13. God was speaking to people living through a difficult season, telling them they still had hope and a future. He also told them to call on Him, pray, and seek Him wholeheartedly.

Jeremiah 29:11–13 (NIV)

11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

I find comfort in that invitation. I can talk to God. I can look for Him. I don’t need fancy words.

And when I talk about a good future, please don’t hear, “Believe in God and you’ll become rich.” I’m talking about hope, peace, love, and a life with meaning—even when our circumstances are difficult.

So what does it take to become a believer?

Do you have to know every Bible story? Learn a special prayer? Get your whole life together first?

No.

In John 3:16–18 (NIV)

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

Whoever.

That invitation includes you.

Believing in Jesus means putting your trust in Him: trusting who He is, what He did for you, and His invitation to follow Him. You can begin with questions still unanswered and things in your life still unfinished.

A prayer can be a way to express that trust, but it isn’t a password you have to get exactly right.

You can speak honestly: “Jesus, I want to know You. I have questions, and I don’t know where to start. Help me.”

You don’t have to pretend with Him.

And if your hesitation comes from how Christians have treated you, I want to acknowledge that, too.

Some people have encountered judgment when they needed compassion. Some have been made to feel that they were too broken, too different, or too far gone to belong.

When I read that Jesus came to save the world, I see a reason to reach toward people with love. It makes me think seriously about how I treat them.

Those of us who believe need to remember that the church is the people. The building is where we gather. We carry our faith into the grocery store, our workplaces, our homes, and every conversation we have.

What are people experiencing when they encounter us?

I want the people who encounter me to know they are loved. I want them to feel free to ask questions. And I want them to understand why this woman who has survived so much still has a reason to laugh, dance, and look forward to tomorrow.

For me, that reason is Jesus.

I’m still learning. I’m still healing. And I have joy right here, in the middle of it.

If you’ve been waiting for life to become perfect before you start living, I understand. I spent a lot of time there.

But there is love to receive, hope to discover, and good to notice today.

And yes, I believe there is a celebration ahead.

You’re invited to discover why.