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By Candida Sullivan

Columnist

It was one of the worst days of my life. I was alone and the pain was unbearable. The air felt as if it was stuck in my lungs. I struggled to inhale and to exhale. Each one accompanied a sob. At that moment, as the panic swirled around me, I didn’t feel as if it would ever get better.

The pain was stabbing and consuming. I cried myself to sleep most nights and even woke myself up crying a few times. All I could think about, as the pain consumed me, was how to make it stop. A few times, I desired the Lord to just take me home. Because I didn’t think I could live with a broken heart.

No one was around. For the most part, it was just me and my heartache. Sometimes I yearned for an encouraging word. But when people think you are strong, then sometimes they dismiss the fact that you need help. So most days, I was alone with my heartache and troubling thoughts.

During this time in my life, I learned something so valuable. God is always there! He never leaves us. In our times of sorrow, God will sit with us. He will speak words of peace to our troubled soul. He created our hearts, therefore He knows exactly how to comfort us.

His word encouraged me. That year I had decided to read the entire Bible. So every morning I read His words of encouragement. They comforted me and gave me hope. Sometimes a verse would stand out to me and I would write it down and think about it all day.

The hope, only found in God, was what helped me to overcome my circumstances and to get through the most painful time in my life. God blessed me to thrive in the midst of my storm. He wiped my tears and strengthened me. When I had learned what I needed to learn, God removed that trial from me. And the gift of enduring the pain was priceless.

God wants you to seek Him. When other people are there for us, then we depend on them and don’t really need God. It’s when we are all alone, with our heartache, that we truly desire His presence.

If you are going through your own trial, then I encourage you to seek the Lord. Seek His wisdom, knowledge, love, and peace. Let Him help you to grow through the trials. God knows your situation. Find a quiet place and talk to Him. Let your relationship with Him be the most important, and then He will show you how to have better relationships with others.

Candida Sullivan is an award-winning author, inspirational speaker, and certified life coach. Her book, Despite Your Circumstances, won the 2016 CSPA book of the year award. It is her passion to help others learn to overcome their own circumstances. She lives in Tennessee with her husband and children. If you’d like to contact her, please email her at candida@candidasullivan.com.