How to trust God when it's hard

Hey Everyone!!!

Something I have been thinking a lot about lately is trusting God when everything isn't all sunshine and rainbows. I mean it is easy to trust Him when life seems perfect and everything is going how we think it should. But what do we do when it is all gray skies and stormy weather and life gets hard?

One thing I do that helps me is just talking to Jesus. I tell Him about what I am struggling with and ask for help. And He gets it! Jesus lived a perfect life but that doesn't mean that he had a perfect life. He had to deal with a lot of pain, rejection, and bad days too. He knows what it feels like to go though hard stuff and wants us to talk to Him so He can help us through our stuff.

And I talk to other people too. I talk to my friends but it also really helps to talk to some one a little older or that has maybe been through something like what you are going through. People that I talk to when stuff seems hard or I need advice are my parents, my older brother, and some amazing adults in my life.

Another thing I do is remind myself of all the awesome things God has already done for me. Sometimes I just sit down and make a list. I write down all the things He has done for me and all the crazy miracles He has done in my life. It helps to remind me that He loves me and has always been there for me so I can trust Him to be there for me again even when stuff is scary or hard.

And the last thing I do is try to control my brain and all the stuff that bounces around in there. When I find myself thinking about hard stuff like wishing I could be "normal" like other kids ... when I catch myself daydreaming about what it would be like to walk, or run, or swim, or climb a tree... I stop myself and I remind myself that God made me JUST the way I am - on purpose and for a purpose. And He is way bigger and waaaaay smarter than me. Even though I don't always understand some of the hard stuff that happens, I do know God is good and I can trust Him.

I love Isaiah 41:10, it says "Don't panic. I'm with you. There's no need to fear for I'm your God. I'll give you strength. I'll help you. I'll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you."

I hope this helps somebody who might be having a rainy day.

XOXO,
Riley