Young adulthood was a weird time - perhaps for many others as well. Coming out of college, I had great expectations for my life and how it should turn out. But more importantly, as I reflect, I think I was truly looking for one thing - an identity. After all, I had been an overachieving student, a conscientious worker, and an obedient child. But it felt like I had been following a rule book all that time and was struggling to find true meaning and purpose in all of those human accolades and achievements I garnered. 

I have always considered God to be both my father and friend. He so easily fits into both categories in my life, and I have always felt His presence near to me, even in my adolescence when I hadn't quite yet grasped the Gospel. He's been my refuge in times where I've been lost, buried under the weight of trials and suffering. I've found refuge in Him when He's taken on my grief and given me rest. The blessing of knowing Him and the privilege of getting to study and interact with His Word is truly what has sustained me season to season.