Feeling Down?

Have you ever felt down and out? Of course, you have. I have felt “down” a lot of times too. Like any person, I have suffered through a lot of episodes of gloominess when I felt like the whole world had abandoned me. I have suffered through seasons when my zest for living was gone and when all the excitement of life had actually been drained from my body. I have even given up at times, believing that God himself had turned away from me and had given up on me.

More times than I can count, I remember finding a solitary place to cry, wondering when this lousy season of my life would be over. How long would this last? When would I get my breakthrough? Where was God? I felt like a little, lost girl in search of answers. And it was not until I finally realized some things that this depressing pattern finally ceased in my life.

I realized, for instance, that God had never abandoned me. I realized that he was always there to guide me and to give me peace, even when I didn’t know it. I realized that strength for the battle must come from deep within my own soul, from a realization that everything is going to be okay, that everything has a purpose, and that God will not allow anything to take place in my life that doesn’t contribute to my overall well-being. And I realized that strength comes from the Lord.