Book Review: Trudging Through Your Faith by Kate Onyia

Sometimes faith isn’t about running. Sometimes it’s about taking the next step.

There are seasons in life when suffering leaves us with very little strength. We may not have the energy to read a lengthy book, study complicated theological arguments, or figure out all the answers to the questions swirling around in our minds. Sometimes, we simply need someone to remind us that we are not walking through the valley alone.

That is the heart behind Kate Onyia’s Trudging Through Your Faith: 30 Devotions of Encouragement During Times of Suffering.

I received a copy of this devotional from Kate, and after spending time going through it, I can see why this book will resonate with Christians who are walking through difficult seasons.

A Devotional Born From Personal Experience

One of the things that makes Trudging Through Your Faith different is that Kate doesn’t approach suffering merely as an abstract theological subject.

She writes about it through the lens of her own experiences.

Throughout the book, she opens up about struggles involving marriage, parenting, relationships, loneliness, grief, anxiety, change, illness, and other difficult circumstances. She also shares the painful experience of watching her father battle pulmonary fibrosis.

That personal element gives the devotional a sense of vulnerability.

Kate isn’t simply telling the reader, “Have faith when things get difficult.”

She is essentially saying, “I have struggled too. I have questioned, cried, felt overwhelmed, and wondered what God was doing. But I have also learned to keep turning toward Him.”

That makes the book particularly relatable.

Who is Kate Onyia, the author?

Behind Trudging Through Your Faith is Kate Onyia, a wife, mother of two, Bible study facilitator, and passionate encourager of women who are walking through seasons when their faith is tested.

Kate holds a degree in Elementary Education, but for the past five years, she has chosen to stay home with her two children. During this season of motherhood, she has also remained actively involved in her church community, facilitating Bible studies and serving in various leadership roles.

Her passion is simple but meaningful: she wants to encourage women to develop a more intimate relationship with Jesus and to keep going when faith becomes difficult. That passion comes through naturally in Trudging Through Your Faith, a devotional shaped by her own experiences with suffering, uncertainty, grief, and spiritual growth.

Kate is also a writer who is just beginning to share more of her journey through the written word. In the acknowledgements of the book, she openly describes this as her first writing work and acknowledges that it is not perfect. That humility is worth noting because Trudging Through Your Faith does not present itself as the work of someone who has figured everything out. Instead, it feels like an invitation from someone who has walked through difficult seasons herself and wants to encourage others to keep walking with Christ.

Outside of writing and ministry, Kate enjoys spending time with friends, reading, and being outdoors.

There is also a charitable dimension to her work. According to her author bio, every book sale contributes to a donation to a local charity serving women and children, inspired by Psalm 68:5.

Her work has already received recognition as well. Trudging Through Your Faith was selected as a winner of the Christlit Book Award 2025, giving the devotional an additional distinction beyond its personal and devotional purpose.

Ultimately, knowing a little about Kate helps put the book into perspective. This is not simply a collection of devotional thoughts from an author writing about suffering as an abstract subject. It comes from a woman who is passionate about encouraging others, serving within her church community, and pointing people toward Jesus when life becomes difficult.

Thirty Days of Walking Through Suffering

The devotional is divided into two major sections: “Earthly Suffering (Familiar to All)” and “Suffering for Christ (Christ as Our Hope).”

The first section deals with struggles that can touch virtually anyone. The topics include weakness, trusting God, parenting, shame, anger, everyday frustrations, happiness, grief, major life changes, peace, battles, illness, miscarriage, loneliness, and busyness.

The second section turns more specifically toward suffering connected with following Christ. It addresses spiritual attacks, doubt, perseverance, spiritual discipline, prayer, solitude, persecution, and the purpose of suffering.

I appreciate this structure because it recognizes something important: not all suffering looks the same.

Sometimes we suffer simply because we live in a broken world. At other times, difficulties arise because we are trying to follow God and live according to His will.

The book encourages readers to look beyond the immediate pain and consider what God may be teaching them through the experience.

The Strength of Vulnerability

For me, one of the strongest aspects of the devotional is Kate’s willingness to be vulnerable.

She doesn’t present herself as someone who has everything figured out.

She talks about moments when she questioned God, struggled with anger, felt inadequate, wrestled with shame, experienced loneliness, and wondered whether she could continue.

That honesty makes the devotional feel personal rather than distant.

For example, in the section on weakness, Kate describes seasons when difficulties seemed to follow one after another, including struggles in her marriage, parenting challenges, and strained family relationships. Yet she describes how those experiences ultimately caused her to think more deeply about Christ and His sacrifice.

That is one of the book’s recurring themes: God can use painful seasons to shape our character and draw our attention back to Him.

Scripture Is at the Center

Each devotional begins with a Scripture passage and then connects that passage with a particular struggle or question.

The book repeatedly brings the reader back to themes such as trusting God, persevering through trials, seeking His guidance, praying, and looking to Christ during difficult circumstances.

I especially appreciated the way Kate encourages readers not merely to read the Scripture and move on, but to stop and reflect on it.

Each day concludes with a reflection prompt, giving the reader an opportunity to think about how the day’s message applies personally.

This makes Trudging Through Your Faith more than something to simply read.

It can become something to work through.

A Devotional for Real-Life Struggles

Another strength is the variety of situations Kate addresses.

Suffering doesn’t always look like a major tragedy.

Sometimes suffering looks like grief.

Sometimes it looks like a struggling marriage.

Sometimes it is parenting.

Sometimes it is loneliness.

Sometimes it is a painful transition.

Sometimes it is doubt.

Sometimes it is simply waking up one morning and realizing that you don’t have the strength you thought you had.

Kate does a good job showing that these experiences can affect our spiritual lives.

One of the most relatable sections is her discussion of everyday irritations. She describes how seemingly insignificant frustrations can gradually affect our patience, relationships, and ability to reflect God’s love.

That is a helpful reminder because we don’t always recognize that spiritual growth is tested not only during major crises, but also in ordinary moments.

The Message of Hope

Ultimately, the book’s central message is not that suffering is easy.

It isn’t.

The message is that suffering does not have to be meaningless.

Kate repeatedly points the reader toward Christ and encourages believers to allow difficult experiences to produce perseverance, maturity, and deeper faith.

That theme comes through particularly strongly in the final devotional. Looking back at her experiences with parenting, grief, loneliness, relationships, anxiety, and change, Kate reflects on how those experiences deepened her understanding of her Savior.

I think that is where the title becomes especially meaningful.

Trudging implies that the journey isn’t always comfortable.

You may not feel strong.

You may not feel motivated.

You may not even understand why you’re going through what you’re experiencing.

But you can still keep moving forward.

One step.

One prayer.

One Scripture.

One day at a time.

Who Would Benefit From This Book?

I would particularly recommend Trudging Through Your Faith to Christians who are currently going through a difficult season and want something relatively short and accessible to read each day.

It would also make a thoughtful gift for someone experiencing grief, disappointment, loneliness, family difficulties, or another challenging season of life.

Because the devotions are focused on individual questions and real-life circumstances, readers can also return to particular sections when a specific struggle arises.

Final Thoughts

What I appreciate most about Trudging Through Your Faith is that Kate doesn’t try to make suffering sound beautiful or pretend that Christians are somehow immune to pain.

Instead, she acknowledges the reality of suffering while continually directing the reader toward faith, Scripture, perseverance, and Christ.

The book’s greatest strength is its personal and encouraging nature.

Kate opens the door to some very personal experiences and uses those experiences to encourage other believers who may be walking through their own difficult seasons.

Her hope is that readers will finish the devotional closer to Jesus than when they began. In her own words, the book was written to help readers recognize God’s work in their lives and to encourage them to look forward.

And I think that captures the heart of this devotional very well.

We may not always understand our suffering.

We may not always know what tomorrow will bring.

But when the road becomes difficult, sometimes the most important thing we can do is keep walking, keep seeking God, and keep holding on to the hope we have in Christ.

If you are going through a difficult season and need a short daily reminder to keep turning your heart toward God, Trudging Through Your Faith is worth picking up.