Have you ever been at a spot in your life where you think to yourself, “How in the world did I get here, and how do I get out?” I know I have, and it’s not a whole lot of fun. However, life isn’t meant to be all fun and games, because if it was, then we wouldn’t have a need to trust and to have faith. Furthermore, for me, going through these times and experiencing pain, has produced in me something that wouldn’t have been produced otherwise–a deeper dependence on and closeness with Christ.

While I don’t know all your situations and struggles, I’d love to share with you some of the things that have helped me through times of treading the deepest of waters.

Surround yourself with community

While it’s easier to isolate ourselves during dark times, it’s then that we need others most. So, surround yourself with people who will uplift and encourage you, and who will point you to truth, instead of feeding the lies that you tell yourself and that the world tells you.

Seek out a counselor

I know, some of you probably read this and thought, “Yea, no way, Jose,” and skipped right over this tip and onto the next one (or just completely stopped reading this post altogether). I get it; it took me over a decade to decide to try counseling again. I felt like my view of it had been scarred from a negative experience with it in the past. But, I’m so glad that God pressed it upon my heart to give it another try. Y’all, I can’t tell you how incredible and monumental this has been in my life! So, if you’ve had a bad experience before, I encourage you to give it another go with a different counselor. We all click with different people, and one bad experience doesn’t mean they’ll all be bad; simply try again. It’s kinda like dating…just because the first relationship didn’t work out, doesn’t mean you stop dating altogether. It simply means you give yourself time and space and permission to try again.

Wait. Trust. Pray.

How many of you like waiting? Yea, me either. In fact, I’m not sure I’ve ever met anyone who actually enjoys waiting. However, it’s necessary, especially to produce more patience in us and to strengthen our faith. Furthermore, periods of waiting cause us to trust more. For me, they’ve caused me to trust Christ more, to remember His faithfulness, and to realize that His timing is perfect.

I recently listened to a podcast by The Porch called, “When God Is Late”, and they brought up some great points that really hit home with me… “Having to wait does not mean that God is late. Jesus is right on time with His priority and what He’s doing in you. Our priority is to fix the immediate, while God’s priority is to fix the ultimate–our faith and trust in and focus on Him. God prioritizes what He’s doing IN you, over what He’s doing FOR you.” I was like, “Wow. This is just what I needed to hear.” I highly recommend listening to it. You can check it out here.

And then lastly (but really, first and foremost), PRAY. PRAY. PRAY. Talk to Jesus, because He wants to hear your heart’s desires, your hurts, and just your voice that he beautifully put inside of you.

I encourage you, my sweet friend, that as you go through these periods of heartache in your life (and believe me, there will be more than just one), to press in, press on, and work on the things that are in your control. And then learn to let go of that which you can’t control. Do what you can, and let God do the rest.

My prayer for you is that you’re inspired by reading this, that you’re encouraged to keep “fighting the good fight”, and that you will draw closer to The One who loves you more than anything or anyone. May you rest in knowing that there are brighter days ahead, no matter how dark today seems. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this, and may God bless you beyond measure, my dear friend!

xoxo,

miranda kay

*This post may contain affiliate links.