Sometimes, life hits harder than usual. For the past 18 months, I have lived under extreme emotional and mental pressure. In the beginning, God was the only rock I had to lean on. But as the trial dragged on, holding onto Him became heavier and heavier.
How can God, who is a loving Father, allow us to go through such painful seasons? I don’t have the answer to that question, and that’s not what this post is about. But back then, the questioning—combined with a series of difficult events—made me lose my grip. I simply didn’t have the strength to hold on anymore. Yet, deep down, I knew I had to.
When the Loud Worship Fades
I used to be the person who spent hours in the Bible. I used to sing worship songs so loudly that if we lived in a crowded neighborhood, the neighbors definitely would have complained.
I will never forget one specific morning. It was a morning full of pure desperation. My husband was away at a crucial, life-changing meeting. I prayed with a focus and intensity I had never experienced before. But the meeting didn’t go the way we had hoped. As the answers I had begged for drifted further away, I began to take step after step away from the only One who had kept me standing. I was angry, hurt, and deeply disappointed with God. Burnout was a fact.
The Turning Point in a Smartphone App
Yet, somehow, God stayed in my heart. Even when I was too angry and too exhausted to even give Him a thought, He was there, refusing to let me go.
After a month or two of complete distance from God, a quiet nudge prompted me to open the YouVersion app on my phone just to read the “Verse of the Day.” I truly believe it was God whispering to me that morning. That single verse spoke straight into my broken heart, as if it were written just for me.
The next day, I gave the app another chance. Another perfect verse. That was the moment I realized something life-changing: I needed to feed my soul with tiny, bite-sized pieces of God’s Word. ### Bite-Sized Faith I didn’t have the energy to pull out a heavy Study Bible, and a long, deep devotional was completely out of the question. Instead, I made a small list of verses that spoke directly to my specific pain. And slowly, bit by bit, a quiet shift happened.
I won’t claim that I am back to spending hours reading theology every day. But I am back in God’s Word.
In fact, it was out of my own desperate need for quick, simple access to Scripture that A5Love was born. The 5-minute devotionals I sell in my Etsy shop are the exact tools I created to survive. They are the words I use myself, over and over again. Some days, when five minutes is still too much, I just look at one of my printed verse cards. Now that I am slowly finding my footing again, I sometimes have room for a little more—and that’s when I open one of my printable Bible reading plans.
Five Minutes is Enough
If you have temporarily lost your grip on faith, or if you simply don’t have the time or emotional energy to sit down for a one-hour quiet time today, please hear me: five minutes is enough. Tiny pieces of Scripture kept me alive when I couldn’t hold on myself. It helped me, and my deepest hope and prayer is that these small tools will help you too.
Links & Next Steps
- Find Your Bite-Sized Word: If your soul is tired, browse our quick 5-Minute Devotionals & Verse Cards on Etsy.
- Save This for Later: Pin this post to your Faith Routine Pinterest Board as a reminder that God holds onto you, even when you let go.