Priest and broadcaster Kate Bottley has said she believes that faith is not "one size fits all" and that it looks like "different things to different people".
She was speaking at St Paul's Cathedral on the topic of what faith means to her, inspired by her book, Have a Little Faith: Life Lessons on Love, Death and How Lasagne Always Helps.
Rev Bottley shared her journey into faith, describing it initially as a "coat in my wardrobe that I didn't really wear often".
"It felt like I stepped into my faith, like it was something that was always there in the background that I'd never really tried and worn out," she said.
She continued: "I think for lots of people faith is just something that is there in the background but not something that they perhaps wear out very often."
She also recalled struggling with the feeling that she was not "holy enough" a lot of the time in church.
"I didn't feel clever enough or spiritual enough," she said.
Despite these doubts, she has risen to become the presenter of Good Morning Sunday on BBC Radio 2 and a regular on BBC1's Songs of Praise.
Her talk was organised by the St Paul's Adult Learning Department which runs events throughout the year exploring the challenges and joys of Christian life today. Dr Paula Gooder, Canon Chancellor at St Paul's Cathedral, chaired the talk and opened the floor for questions.
When asked about her coping strategy for times of disbelief, Rev Bottley's advice was to engage with the church community.
"I find other people's words helpful. That's what it is to be a community of faith. If you can't believe it today, then perhaps somebody else can believe it for you," she said
She stressed the importance of staying connected, stating that being human is to be "connected to the self, connected with other humans and to be connected to something bigger than themselves".
Asked about her thoughts on sin, she responded that all fall short, including herself but that God still continues to love us.
"I don't believe in a vengeful God, I believe in a loving God that loves us so much," she said.
She continued: "I also believe I shouldn't worry too much about what happens next. My job is to serve and to love my neighbour as I love myself, which means you have to love yourself."
