The following was received from Jake H. of Pocatello, Idaho on Monday, November 3rd.
Dear Editor,
I don’t usually write letters like this. Honestly, I don’t even know what made me sit down tonight and type these words out. Maybe it’s frustration. Maybe it’s guilt. Maybe it’s some part of me that still believes, deep down, that someone will read this and understand what I’m feeling.
I grew up in church. Sunday mornings, youth group on Wednesdays, mission trips in the summer. I knew the verses, said the prayers, and really did believe for a long time that God was real, good, and in control. But now, at 23, I’m not so sure anymore.
When I look around at America today, it feels like everything has fallen apart. Families are broken. Kids don’t even know what truth is anymore, everyone just follows whatever makes them “happy.” We’ve turned sin into entertainment, pride into virtue, and faith into a punchline. People mock Christianity like it’s some outdated superstition, and what’s worse, many who still claim the name of Christ don’t live any differently from the world.
I see churches preaching comfort instead of conviction, pastors more concerned about followers on social media than the souls in their pews. Politics have replaced prayer. Money and image have replaced humility. The world says “love wins,” but what they mean is “we decide what’s right now.” And sometimes, watching it all unfold, I wonder, if God is really there, how can He let this happen? Why does He stay silent while the truth is twisted and mocked every single day?
I’ve prayed. I’ve begged for faith to come back the way it used to be. But I keep coming up empty. Every time I scroll through the news or look around my community, it just feels like darkness is winning. It’s like the light I used to see in people, kindness, honesty, decency, is fading out.
I don’t want to stop believing. I really don’t. But I’m tired of pretending everything’s okay when the world is burning and God feels so far away. I know the Bible says He never leaves us or forsakes us, but I can’t feel Him right now. Maybe that’s on me. Maybe it’s my sin or doubt or pride. But I need someone to tell me how to find my way back, because I can’t do it alone anymore.
If anyone out there still has faith that’s real, that’s steady, please, tell me how to hold on to it when everything around me is falling apart.
Sincerely,
Jake H.
Pocatello, Idaho
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