At first, I didn’t believe it when I said “Jesus, I trust in You,” but I desired to trust in Him. All I had left within me was a desire to grow closer to Him. Watching Sunday Mass online made me miss going, something which I had only tolerated in the previous months.

I was truly lost. Walking into that confessional, it felt a little foreign. It was my first time being behind that wall in a very long time.

I learned to take the focus off me. I was afraid of messing up, stumbling, mispronouncing words, and embarrassing myself. I was standing up to read the Word of God and all that I could think about was myself.

Shame is not truth. Truth is giving it to God and accepting the mercy that He longs to give us. Truth is choosing to let go of shame.