Janalee B Smith

Breathe Underwater Janalee B Smith

"I'd been holding my breath for years, and I couldn't do it anymore. There was a glimmer of hope in the possibility of a third option. Option One: Sink. Option Two: Swim. Option Three: Breathe Underwater?"


Like many who grew up in the Church and accepted Christ at a young age, Janalee understood grace for salvation, but had no idea how to apply that grace for living. Unwittingly buying into a self-focused "gospel" of works, she was holding her breath while waiting for eternity, living in survival mode, and finding it harder and harder to keep up. This is the story of how God called her bluff and invited her to embrace the full gospel of grace.


Grace does not come naturally to us who are living in the "meantime" between salvation and future glory. We find it easier to focus on sin management and coping skills rather than face the source of our problem: the spiritual bondage of our hearts. With compassion, humor, and a humble respect for Scripture, Janalee interweaves her own story with the truths that God has taught her about confronting lies, judgments, unforgiveness, and wounds that hold us back from a grace-filled life. The crucible of pain teaches us to dive deeply into our union with Christ in order to find abundance - to breathe underwater.