You wanna know why I am so open and transparent with you? Well, it's so easy for Christians to hide their troubles and their struggles. I don't want to do that at all. I want you to know what I walk through and I want you know that yes, life is hard. I know that life isn't fair. I know life can be extremely painful and so frustrating at times, but God. I have my ever present help in my times of need. I have peace in the chaos. I have hope when it seems hopeless. I have joy that overflows even when it doesn't make any sense to be joyful. I may not always understand the pain or the trails, but God. I stopped running from the One i needed the most and I finally gave in to being held and helped. I let go because it was the only way to grow. I can't believe in a God who heals if I don't experience it firsthand. I can't believe in a God who hasn't answered my cries and for that I know He hears every single word. He even understands my sighs and groans. He sees my frustration. He watches me. He protects me. Could it be possible for God to not let this happen at all in the first place? Yes, He is more than capable of removing it the first time, but we all have to walk through difficult circumstances in our life to show us that yes, in fact that God is the only One we need. God is the only One who can pick us up when we fall. God is the only One who can protect us when we can't defend ourselves. How great Thou Art, Great is Thy faithfulness, In Christ Alone, It is Well with My Soul, these are just a few that are some of my favorites. 'Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus. Because at the end of the day I don't matter because it wasn't ever about me in the first place. God deserves all the glory, all the honor, and all the praise. Why? Because of what He has done and what He continues to do for me. So, no, I'm not going to hide it anymore because if you can see my struggles and see my heart through it all then I have done my job. I want to point you to the One who can restore the brokenness of your heart. I want to lead you to the water, but I can't make you drink. I want to show you that yes, we struggle and things are difficult, but with God we can make it through our difficult times. He didn't promise life to be easy. He promised to always be there to help us when times got tough. "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of age." Matthew 28:20 b. So, even in my hurts, pains, confusion, and pure stupidity God is always there for me. I hope and pray that you find encouragement in these words written. I pray it somehow refreshes your soul to know that God truly does love you. That God isn't going to leave you and that God is always faithful. God is always kind. God is merciful and eternally gracious. God is fair. God is always justified in His actions. God knows what is best for our lives and unfortunately we are not able to see the bigger picture unlike Him and for that we need to learn trust and to have faith in Him. Be at peace today knowing that God is working on your behalf and I pray you have a blessed and beautiful day.