There is not a single thing that Rachel Held Evans has written that I did not need immensely. Her words are both a challenging kick in the butt and the hug that welcomes you home.

Church hurts. Life hurts. Faith hurts. But that isn’t an excuse to shut everything out. Instead, Evans reminds us that we should lean in because you cannot know the resurrection Sunday without first wading through the grief and pain that the days prior to that event held. At the end of the day, we’re just imperfect people desperately trying to show the world God. But that’s also what makes Church beautiful, too. As someone who struggles on nearly every level with Sunday mornings, Evans reminded me that those feelings and doubts actually belong in church, too. That I belong in church. That I have an important part to play in making sure others feel this way, too. Because that is the Gospel. That is who God is.