I’m writing this for myself.
For the days when outside the sun is shining but inside my heart is gray and stormy. For when I can’t imagine that everything can be normal again.
This is for the days when no one understands and the pain feels too heavy. When my thoughts won’t stop spinning, creating a tornado of emotions I’m not quite sure how to handle.
This blog is for those days. I hope you remember to come back to this, to memorize these truths, and internalize them so deep in your heart that you always know you can turn to them. I’m writing this for me, but I know you might need it too someday.
Remember this:
“The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing” (Psalm 23:1, NIV).
Everything you need and everything your heart longs for is waiting for you in the arms of your Father, the Good Shepherd who can lead you to paths of goodness and kindness, and light in the dark valley. You lack nothing.
“If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31).
You are not standing alone against whatever giant you are facing. God is with you and for you. He is on your side and our God is a God of victories. St. Josemaria Escriva said, “Trust always in your God. He does not lose battles.”
“All things work together for good for those who love the Lord” (Romans 8:28).
Bad things happen to good people. Evil and sin create pain in our world. This is not God’s fault, but it can all be used by God to help us grow, to teach us compassion, to make us stronger, holier people, and to lead us to Him.
“Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Isaiah 1:18).
I have been saved by the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, and I am continually being saved every time I go to Him in the Sacrament of Reconciliation for forgiveness. My sins and failings don’t have to weigh me down. I am white and pure as snow in the eyes of my Father.
“…For You have formed us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless until they find rest in You” (St. Augustine).
Stop looking for lasting peace and happiness outside of a relationship with God. Everything in this earth is empty compared to what is offered in His arms. When in doubt, just sit and ask God to be with you, ask Him to fill you with His love. Ask Him to give you rest.
“You are precious and honored in my sight and I love you” (Isaiah 43:4).
If I am this precious and honored and loved by God, then I can know with certainty that He is taking care of me. We are never forgotten by our God who died to be with us. So when you feel unloved and unimportant, remember God chose to create you because you are precious to Him. God thought the world was incomplete without you.
“Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?” (1 Cor 3:16).
When everything is falling apart, the best thing you can do for yourself is to keep taking good care of yourself. Your body is a temple of God, don’t treat it like a cardboard box. Respecting yourself and taking good care of your body will help heal your heart and mind because your body is part of who you are, you are an “integrated” being — you can not separate your body, soul, mind, and heart. They all make up who you are as a person.
“There is one body, but it has many parts. But all its many parts make up one body. It is the same with Christ” (1 Corinthians 12:12).
We weren’t made to function and have full lives in isolation. We were made for each other and right now you need community with other people. You need to connect with others who will reaffirm your worth, and listen, and tell you it will all be okay… because it will. It’s okay to need other people; you are a blessing, not a burden to those who love you.
Don’t lose hope.
Remember that only after a seed is buried and broken open does it rise and grow into something beautiful. Tough times will only make you stronger; what a waste if we run and hide from them instead of allowing ourselves to feel it all — the good and the bad — in order to learn and grow.
I’m praying for you!
