Violet didn’t know how long she sat inside the church. She was overwhelmed with so much guilt and shame, and she felt irreparably broken. Even though God wasn’t saying anything back to her, it felt nice just to be able to cry her heart out. So she stayed there for hours and hours into the night.

Father God, I know I made a stupid decision. I thought I’d be strong enough for this, but with every night that passed, my soul keeps slowly slipping away. I’m ...