“I don’t know what I believe anymore.”

I’ll never forget the day I finally said those words out loud. I sat outside, on the deck in our backyard. The sun was shining, but I couldn’t shake the cold that had set in my bones.

My husband didn’t know what to say. Neither did I.

What’s a girl to do when her last hope—her faith—turns fragile?

It’s been a few years since that day on the deck. Remembering still makes my heart ache. Yesterday, I told a friend this story. She responded simply: “You crawled your way back to faith.”

I shook my head.

“No. No, I didn’t.”

I paused, needing her to hear me.

“I didn’t crawl back to Him. He carried me.”

In the deep ocean of my suffering, when all I could see were the swells of my pain, God came near. When I couldn’t reach for Him, He dove into the deep right alongside me, scooped me up into His able arms, and carried me home.

I didn’t deserve it. He did it anyway.

If there is one thing I need you to know, it is this:

You are not alone. Whatever has you in over your head, God sees you there. And His love for you is even more dogged than your nightmare. It is not doled out in proportion to your effort, nor is it withheld at your failure or shared in your success. In fact, God’s love is not even dependent on you at all.

Instead, His love finds you where you’re weakest, meets you in your disgrace and shame, and covers you with Himself.

And when don’t have the hope or strength left to crawl your way to Love, He carries you there.

Today my newest book, Relentless: The Unshakeable Presence of a God Who Never Leaves, is officially released into the world. It is my story of nearly losing my faith. And it is a story of finding God faithful anyway.

I poured myself out in these pages. As a result, I have little words left. So I’ll leave you with this:

If you’re in a dark basement despairing of life, you’re not alone. God hasn’t left you—not even close. His presence is where the pain is. Always.

Now, how about a little LAUNCH WEEK SPECIAL? In celebration of today’s release of Relentless, my team and I have created the Altar Stone Card Pack Download especially for you. This card pack consists of 12 Altar Stone Cards (plus a few extra) to accompany each of the 12 chapters of Relentless. Complete each card with tangible evidence of God’s presence in your story, and by the last page of Relentless, you’ll have your own Altar of Remembrance, no matter what comes.

All you need to do is Order Relentless—any version (paperback, digital, audio) and at any book retailer—before Monday, November 18, 2019, 11:59 pm PT, and I will send you the Altar Stones Card Pack Download FOR FREE. But remember! Launch week is the ONLY time this download will be offered for free. After Monday, November 18, the cards will be for sale as a physical product on my website for $14.99.

Ready to get your free Altar Stone Card Pack Download? This is what you need to do:

1. Purchase Relentless. Order it wherever books are sold, or click the AMAZON link HERE.
2. Go to MicheleCushatt.com/Relentless and enter your name, email, and order number
3. Check your email for the download!
4. Print in full color on your computer (I recommend using a nice, heavy cardstock)
5. Cut into individual cards, and enjoy!

Thanks for celebrating with me, friends. Our God is with us!