On Friday, May 19, pastor, theologian, and author Timothy Keller, 72, passed away after a 3-year fight with pancreatic cancer. The news gripped the hearts of Christians around the world, whose lives–whether through a book he’s authored, by listening to one of his sermon podcasts, or being a part of his congregation–were greatly impacted by Keller.

There was a challenging season of my life when I felt like everything was not going well. I was led on by someone whom I thought was a potential life partner, and the cultural pressures to get married made me anxious. On top of that, my PhD proposals had been rejected multiple times.