High school is a balancing act. Between studies, extra-curricular activities, friendships, and family life, it can be challenging to maintain a focus on God. This is the conclusion Hannah Bollin reached last year as a Portland Adventist Academy senior. Recognizing her own need for a devotional targeting the needs and interests of teenage girls, Hannah assigned herself the task of writing such a “guide book.”

The Perfect Balance, Hannah’s self-published devotional, proved just as ambitious an undertaking as it sounds. Over the course of an intense three months, Hannah poured countless hours of prayer, study, frustration, enthusiasm, and conversation into the book’s development. “There were times when I [thought], I can’t believe I’m doing this; this is crazy!” she explains. “But, there were other times when I could feel God right there with me.”

The devotional proved to be a product worth more than a mission accomplished. “I think it’s something that really does help people—[based on] what I’ve heard,” Hannah shares. She believes God has used The Perfect Balance to benefit the lives of those who read it. More than 200 copies have been sold and distributed to customers in three states.

Now a freshman English major at PUC, Hannah makes continual efforts to help young women maintain spiritual balance by leading a small, informal worship group in her dorm room. The meeting provides a time and place for female college students to relax, paint their nails, and reflect on the Bible and chapters of The Perfect Balance.

While Hannah has enjoyed the devotional-writing experience, her appetite as an author has not yet been satisfied. As one who enjoys creative writing, she hopes to build on the foundation of this project by continuing to write and publish throughout her life. Hannah plans to pursue a career in law, but hopes to apply the skills she learns in her undergraduate study to future writings.