There was a war being waged on the inside of me and I believed I was losing the battle. I felt like a misfit--a square peg trying to fit in a round hole. Each time I tried to fit in, I was rejected. Each time I was rejected, I sank a little deeper into an abyss of depression. This mental struggle would haunt me for much of my adult life.
I almost died. Depression had convinced me that I did not deserve to live.  Stemming from feelings of inadequacy, my life went unchanged until I had an encounter with God. In that moment, I realized there was meaning to my life.  In that moment, I realized I had purpose. In that moment, I realized that I had a reason for being and a reason to live.