Have you ever found yourself buried by darkness? Sitting on the floor weighted down by a darkness you can feel, arms wrapped tightly around your knees, wondering how much longer you have before all the oxygen is siphoned from the room? Do you know the place?  The one where the pain in your chest meets the ache of your weary soul and you wonder deep down if you will actually drown under all that weight. I'm too tired. I can't swim anymore. Do you know the feeling?  The one where you suspect nobody will ever be able to reach down and pull you up out of the abyss. Perhaps God overestimated the amount of time you’re capable of holding your breath. Do you know the thought?  The one that sends startled shivers down your spine, shaming you for even thinking it, but enticing you all the same.  The one that whispers, Maybe it’s high-time I just give in. Stop swimming. Go under. Sweet friend, you are not alone. Suffering is real, painstakingly so. We can do one of two things when the weight of life threatens to pull us under: We can sink, and watch our faith, relationships, joy, and peace get tossed to the shore and ransacked by the waves. Or we can swim. Now hear me: Sinking is hard, but swimming when you’re already spent is hard, too. We have to choose our hard.  The good news is that God himself remains closer than the water against our skin. While we flail, float, sputter, and eventually learn to take those first few strokes, He is with.  When we choose the difficult task of swimming, we also choose to build the muscles of faith, and He both saves us while teaching us to swim. “Are you aching for a love that will never leave? A presence that will push back the dark? If so, I have Good News for you. God’s love is relentless, even when your faith isn’t. And the circumstances you fear might drown your faith, could become the stones giving testimony to it. Join me, and let’s find evidence of him together.” Today marks the official release of The Relentless Podcast, a 15-episode podcast and video experience designed to take your Relentless journey further and give you practical tools to tackle the difficult challenges and questions encountered on this journey of faith. As we journey over the next eleven months together, I have three goals in mind. First, that we would all encounter hope, feel less alone, and strengthen our faith through the brave engagement of owning our hard stories within community. Secondly, it is my aim to provide tangible proof of the reality of God- his goodness, unending affection, and relentless presence that cannot be suffocated by the pain, doubt, and suffering of this life. Finally, I look forward with anticipation to revealing behind the scenes information about the personal stories told in Relentless, in order to remind you that the God of light and life never leaves your side. Here’s how to join us on the Relentless Podcast journey: 1. Buy the book. https://michelecushatt.com/relentless/ 2. Read it at your own pace. 3. Subscribe to the podcast https://michelecushatt.com/this-undone-life-podcast/and YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/mcushatt/featured 4. Invite a friend!