Life is full of surprises. There are so many twists and turns to it. Sometimes it can be unsettling how unpredictable life is. As much as we plan for things, there is always something unexpected around the corner. However, whether we are going through something good or bad, we must remember that we are not alone.

I know that when we go through difficult times, it is hard to see where God is. At times it may seem as though He stepped away and you are fighting on your own. However, you are not alone. God never leaves our side.

“…I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” – Matthew 28:20

I have mentioned this several times, but when we keep our faith on the Lord, we know that He is by our side. Keeping our focus and our faith in Him allows us to go throughout our lives without fear. We are able to face every hard time, every painful moment knowing that we will be delivered from them.

“The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit.” – Psalm 34:18

Sometimes, He even shows His mercies when we are losing all hope. He sees that we are utterly lost and afraid. We see no way out of the storm and are about to drown. He reaches out His hand and pulls us out of the raging waters so that we may not drown. He will never let you go through anything you can’t handle and He for sure will not let you go through it alone. In the last year, I have had to learn this for myself.

I grew up in a home where family is very important. As far as I knew, I would always have my parents and siblings there for me. Well, last year my dad left my mom for another woman. It was a very difficult time for my family. We felt abandoned and unloved by someone we thought would be there for us always. We all went through a lot of spiritual, physical, and emotional hard times.

Around the same time that this was going on, my husband (Chad) and I had just bought our first home. We had everything we needed in our home. Everything except blinds for our windows. Chad and I decided to buy plantain shutters for our windows that we would need to install on our own. I took on the responsibility of measuring the windows and to my dismay, I measured all of them wrong.

Since we had been told we could exchange any wrongly measured shutters at no cost, I didn’t think it was that big of a deal. It turned out that the company would only correct four of the shutters at no cost but the others would need to be paid for. We had already spent so much money on the wrongly measured shutters and could not afford to pay any more. Needless to say, both of us were extremely disappointed and very distressed at the moment.

I felt so dumb for not knowing how to properly measure the windows. In all honesty, the directions given to me on how to measure the windows was very misleading. As I thought of solutions for how to fix my mistake, I realized that the only person I knew who could possibly help me was the one person I couldn’t reach out to. My dad. My dad used to make kitchen cabinets and I knew he would know how to fix the shutters. However, I couldn’t bring myself to reach out to him.  

Everything, my mistake and my feeling of abandonment, came crashing down on me. I started crying and I couldn’t get myself to stop. I was heartbroken and I felt so alone. Even when Chad tried to comfort me, I found it hard to feel any consolation. You may be wondering where my faith was at this time. Well, to be honest, my focus was on my situation and not on God.

The next day, the lady whom I had spoken to before called me to inform me that after reviewing my case, they realized I was misled on how to measure my windows. Due to this fact, they were going to replace all of my window shutters at no cost. After I hung up with her, I immediately fell to my knees and began to cry. I realized that although my earthly father had abandoned me, my heavenly Father had not. My heavenly Father took care of me and fixed my problem.

“When my father and mother forsake me, then the Lord will take care of me.” – Psalm 27:10

In the same way Jesus pulled Peter out of the raging waters, He pulled me out too. While I was watching the storm around me and allowing my fears to overtake me, Jesus was right there in front of me with His hand stretched out towards me. He wasn’t going to let me drown. At times it may feel like you are drowning, but He is there, helping you through it.

“We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down but not destroyed.” – 2 Corinthians 4:8-10

In the darkest of times, we need to remember that there is a light living within us. Without this light, we would always reside in the darkness. However, by choosing to accept Christ as our Lord and Savior, we no longer have to wander around in the dark. We are now led to the life that Jesus wants for us.

“I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness.” – John 12:46

I know it’s hard, but we need to keep our eyes on Him. When we do that, we can be in the midst of hard times and not be moved. Jesus gives us the strength and tenacity to go through it. As always, I had to learn the hard way. Now, I have a constant reminder of God’s love and mercy. Anytime I look at my shutters I remember those two days. I remember that I am not alone and that I will never be alone.

“God is with you – wherever you may go and no matter what life brings.”- Joshua 1:9