He Called Me Daughter: My Journey from Depression to Faith

Hi, I’m Samiah Claire,

And this is the story behind Living In Faith Exchange (LIFE)—not the highlight reel, but the raw, redemptive truth of how Jesus met me in my darkest place and called me into His light.

It hasn’t been long since I fully surrendered to Christ—February 21st, 2025, to be exact—but everything changed the moment I let go. I didn’t fall into faith because things were easy. I came crawling with trembling hands, worn from years of carrying what was never mine to bear.

This story isn’t polished—it’s still unfolding—but it’s filled with God's fingerprints.

Before I Found Jesus

For nearly five years, I lived with the quiet ache of depression. It was like waking up every day in a world that never fully made room for me. I was exhausted—mentally, spiritually, and physically. I struggled with anxiety. I experienced strain in my relationships. I felt as though I had an abundance of love within me, yet I had nowhere to express it. I was too caring, too emotional, too sensitive— too much for everyone, including myself.

Born with a heart that cried for others, I longed to help and heal people, but I had no direction. My soul kept whispering that I was meant for more, but no matter what I tried, I never quite landed. I studied biochemistry to become a surgeon. I later studied cosmetics to help people feel beautiful in their skin. I tutored to make students confident in their intelligence. I started a YouTube channel, hoping to support others who were struggling mentally. Every time, I got close. Every time, I quit. Not because I didn’t care—but because it didn’t feel like home.

I couldn’t name it at the time, but I was spiritually starving.

The Spiral

In mid-2024, my health collapsed. I was off work for six months. Chronic fatigue drained me to the bone. I could barely get through a day, let alone plan a future. The world around me kept moving, and I sat in stillness, watching my life unravel one breath at a time.

On the surface, I was drowning in physical symptoms. But beneath it, my soul was suffocating in sin. I didn’t even realize how deeply I had wrapped myself in the earthly world—how I had instinctively chosen momentary dopamine over eternal peace. I had stopped protecting my soul. I had stopped noticing sin. And yet… God never stopped noticing me.

A Verse That Changed Everything

It was July 2024. I was sitting in front of my vanity mirror—numb, exhausted, and out of answers—when I opened the Hallow app and selected a random session. The Scripture for that day was Luke 8:48.

“Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace.”

Something stirred in me. Not loudly. Not dramatically. But something shifted.

A few hours later, while doing the dishes, I heard a nudge in my spirit—what felt like an aggressive thought: Watch your church’s mass online. I hadn’t been watching regularly. But I obeyed. What was the Gospel reading for that day?

Luke 8:48. Again.

And this time… it broke me open.

How could it be a coincidence? How could it be anything but Jesus reaching out? He was calling me daughter. Telling me He saw my bleeding soul. He assured me that I no longer needed to conceal my feelings. I was loved and I could be well.

For the first time, I began to read the Bible. I began to pray again—not from duty, but from desperation.

The Battle Between Darkness and Light

Looking back, I realize my whole life had been filled with subtle encounters with God—little moments, gentle whispers, and divine protection I couldn't always recognize. He had always been there. But I wasn’t ready to see it.

I was still living in the gray zone—too spiritually sensitive to feel at peace in the world, but too far from truth to solely hear God's voice.

Some people talk about rebellion or rejection of God. That wasn’t me. My soul always longed for the divine. I just didn’t know which voice to trust. I had been drawn into the idea of spiritual openness, convinced that my ability to feel things deeply—emotionally, spiritually, even supernaturally—meant I was meant to operate in those gray spaces. But with every door I opened to find peace, more confusion flooded in.

I firmly believed that darkness was my destiny. What if I felt things others didn’t? It must mean I was different in a dangerous way.

But God began to show me something I’ll never forget:

Opening doors to darkness is not the same as opening the gates to Jesus.

My spiritual hunger didn’t make me wicked. It made me human. It made me ready.

But the enemy doesn’t give up his grip easily. The deeper I spiraled into depression and confusion, the louder the darkness got. At times, I felt like I was being dragged into a pit without any rope for my escape. My thoughts weren’t just sad—they were tormented. My identity was fragmented. My purpose was clouded. My joy was nonexistent.

I recall thinking, "I should be helping people. So why am I unable to help myself?"

I was tired, not just in my body, but also in my soul.

The Moment I Let Go

Everything changed on Friday, February 21st, 2025, just a week and a half before Lent.

That day, I sat down with my journal, and something in me just broke open. It was not from pain, but from surrender. I didn’t come with a polished prayer. I came undone.

For over an hour, I poured my heart out to Jesus. I gave Him every disappointment, every fear, every hidden sin I would rather not carry anymore. I told Him I didn’t want to live in between anymore. I didn’t want to be “spiritual” without being His.

And right there at that moment, something inside me switched on.

I can’t explain it with science or logic. But I know what I felt.

Peace. Lightness. Joy.

For the first time in my entire life, I felt like I was enough. I felt like I was exactly where I was meant to be. I had spent years trying to prove myself worthy, fix myself, help others, and hold it all together. But when I let Jesus hold me, the striving ended. The shame lifted. The confusion cleared.

It was like my soul—buried under years of spiritual clutter—had been quietly waiting for this moment.

What Healing Feels Like Through Jesus?

Surrendering didn’t erase my past or make me perfect overnight. But it did give me something I never had before: clarity.

While my depression didn't disappear instantly, it no longer defined me. The anxiety lost its grip. My mind, once constantly buzzing with noise and overthinking, finally felt quiet. There was no more striving. No more pressure to fix everything myself. Only stillness.

For the first time in years, I wasn’t just surviving. I was beginning to heal.

And it was all because I let God do what I never could on my own.

Why I Started This Blog

I've known for years that helping others is my calling. I just never knew how.

I tried. I studied hard. I threw myself into tutoring. I dreamt of becoming a surgeon so I could help heal bodies. I even studied cosmetics to help people feel beautiful in their skin. I launched a YouTube channel to support people struggling with mental health, hoping that if I could offer just one moment of peace to someone else, maybe I’d find it too.

But nothing stuck.

Now I know why.

Healing others does not begin with performance.

It begins with presence.

And presence only flows from the Spirit of God.

Once I surrendered, I knew exactly what to do: create a space for others to feel what I had finally felt—seen, heard, safe, and deeply loved by Jesus.

That’s why I created Living In Faith Exchange (LIFE).

It should not be used as an influencer platform.

However, it serves as a place of peace in the love of Christ.

This is for the ones who feel too much, the ones who are confused, overlooked, or dismissed.

This blog is for those who are struggling like me.

“Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace.” — Luke 8:48

Those words will never stop echoing in my soul.

I was begging for healing that morning, trying to face my reflection through tears, brokenness, and disappointment. And somehow, my prayers were answered.

And now, all I want to do is help others hear Him, too.

What I Know Now

Since that Friday before Lent, I’ve been walking with Jesus one day at a time. Some days feel light and full of purpose. Others feel heavy, but never hopeless, because now, I walk with truth.

Not opinions. Not partial verses taken out of context. Not self-help mantras wrapped in scripture.

The truth is real, living, breathing, sometimes uncomfortable, but always holy.

And let me tell you, it changed everything.

I used to see faith as performance. If I just read enough, served enough, and prayed enough, maybe God would finally approve of me. But now I know: God doesn’t want performance. He wants full surrender. He wants hearts. He wants you.

There’s a quiet strength that comes from knowing who you are in Christ. It’s not loud. It doesn’t need to prove itself. It just is. That’s the kind of identity I’d searched for my whole life. I thought I needed to become someone. But in Jesus, I realized I already was someone.

A daughter.

Redeemed.

Whole.

Seen.

Living In Truth, Not Noise

We live in a world that’s loud—so loud, it’s easy to forget what God sounds like. The internet is full of people claiming truth, twisting scripture, selling spirituality, or just shouting opinions dressed up in faith.

I created LIFE to be the opposite of that.

This is not a blog where I pretend to have everything figured out. This is a sacred space where we study the Word of God together, ask challenging questions, and let the Holy Spirit lead. I don’t come here to preach—I come here to share what I’m learning in real time, through prayer, study, and lived experience.

I have prayed over every post you read. Every topic is something I’ve sat with before God, often for weeks or months, before sharing it with you, because the truth matters. The Bible isn’t a suggestion. It’s the foundation of our healing.

I’m not here to offer you my opinions. I’m here to point you to His Word—and walk with you as we both grow in understanding.

To the One Still in the Dark Place

If you’re reading this and you feel like I used to feel—exhausted, anxious, broken, confused, spiritually distant—I want you to hear this:

You are not too far gone.

You are not “too much.”

You are not meant to carry these burdens alone.

You were never meant to perform your way into peace, you were never meant to fix your soul with the world’s tools. You were meant to rest in the arms of a Savior who already knows you, already loves you, and is just waiting for your yes.

I know what it feels like to be desperate for healing. I know what it’s like to look at your reflection and barely recognize the person staring back. I know the ache of a heart that cries for others while silently bleeding inside.

But I also know what happens when you give that heart to Jesus.

This is the moment when you finally lay down the masks, the striving, and the shame.

Open the door, even just a crack, and let the light in.

He won't shame you. He won't scold you.

He calls you daughter/son.

And He tells you to go in peace.

We Walk This Out Together

This journey isn’t linear. I still have challenging days. I still have questions. But I’m no longer walking alone. I’m walking with Him—and now, I’m walking with you.

Living In Faith Exchange (LIFE) isn’t just a blog. It’s a place for us to wrestle, rest, and grow together. It's a space where we can openly express our healing. This is a place where we can sit at the feet of Jesus and allow His Word to transform us from the inside out.

I would rather not be your influencer. I want to be your sister in Christ.

I want to listen, I want us to share, and I am eager to learn alongside you.

I want to remind you—again and again—that you belong to Jesus.

That’s all LIFE is, an invitation to come back to the One who’s been calling you all along.

Come As You Are

“Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace.” — Luke 8:48

That verse changed my life. It didn't change my life because it was poetic. It changed my life because it was a deeply personal experience.

And if you're still searching—still unsure—still aching to feel seen...

I am confident that it can also transform your life.

You don’t have to clean yourself up first.

You don’t have to have the right words.

You just have to come.

And when you do, I’ll be here—cheering you on, praying for you, and walking beside you.

Welcome to LIFE.

Let’s heal together.

With love and grace,

Samiah Claire