The Story
For a long time, I let my circumstances dictate my obedience.
Maybe you’ve been there too.
In 2015, I started a blog called “By Faith Inspired” as a freshman in college, hoping to create an online space for a community of believers. I grew up in a small Christian school from kindergarten through high school and was now navigating the world of a university. My faith was tested, and looking back, I’m thankful for it. God used those challenging moments to refine and strengthen my faith, and I desired to share it with others passionate about spiritual growth. So, I decided to create an online community for fellow believers. I had no credibility to start a blog, but I knew I had a God who was and is credible. I simply had to speak about Him—and so I did.
But somewhere along the way, I lost the boldness to move forward by faith. I chose fear, doubt, and discouragement instead.
Life, unsurprisingly, didn’t go the way I had planned. The loss of my grandpa, followed by other painful losses, took a huge toll on me spiritually and emotionally. I let my grief stunt my writing. So, I deleted my blog and closed my account. I’ve kept that part of my story private for a while, but I pray that one day, God will give me the courage to share it fully.
In those moments, I allowed my circumstances to dictate my actions. I never took it to God. I just made the decision, and Satan wasted no time planting lies:
“You were never going to reach anyone anyway.”
“God took them away from you. How can you write about His goodness now?”
“It was never going to go anywhere.”
“You’re still in college. What do you have to say?”
“Too much time has passed now. No one will even remember you if you start it up again.”
“What's the point? There's no financial profit.”
“No one is going to read it.”
For so long, I held onto these lies, doubts, and fears.
But here’s where everything changed:
God simply didn’t give up on me. He patiently and graciously led me back—this time with A Cultivating Faith. He could’ve written me off. He could’ve left me in my self-pity. He could’ve let me go. But He didn’t.
He kept pursuing me.
He still wanted to use me.
I’ll never understand why He chose me, but maybe I don’t have to. Maybe all I need to know is that I’m chosen by God, and that’s enough for me to take the next step.
I can’t even tell you how many times I hesitated before moving forward with this website. Satan absolutely hated the idea, and I felt every ounce of that hatred. But God? God loved on me through it all.
He didn’t leave me then; He won’t leave me now. My weaknesses—my insecurities, doubts, and inadequacies—God fills all of those voids.
The story of A Cultivating Faith was never about me anyway. It was always about God, and how He can transform the lives of others.
