We all wish for world peace, happily ever after, and fields of unicorns. Unfortunately, the lives we live are not as perfect as our day dreams. We all have some moments of struggle, heartache, annoyance, and embarrassment. One second you’re walking on sunshine and everything is fine and dandy, but in the next minute the sky is no longer blue and you just so happen to forget your umbrella that day. Suddenly, the world around us is no longer rainbows, ponies, and fairy dust. Life just got real and a large stack of trials and tribulations may be tossed your way and sadly you may miss that pitch and strike out before the sun shines once more. The true test is how we handle the hard times. Some may ask, well, how do we? The answer, as always, is God, our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Maybe you are behind on the car payment, the minivan you parked in the driveway is on empty, you may have lost your job, your GPA could be down the drain, the baby is sick with a fever, and suddenly, church does not seem so appealing when the alarm blares bright and early every Sunday morning and nothing you do seems to be helping. Trust me, I have walked in your worn down shoes before. I have worked, crawled, ran, jumped, leaped, and skipped as hard and fast as I possibly could and still, every single time, failed, finding myself exactly where I started to begin with. I have fallen flat on my face, both literally and figuratively. One may ask, why do I continue to fail when I am putting forth every ounce of effort in my being? The answer is simple really, we are all guilty of trying to carry our heavy burdens upon our backs when we need only to be still.

God has placed no weight upon our shoulders or heartache within our souls. He has spoken the word of truth and stated that we must place every piece of our pain, tears, and struggles in his hands alone. We should not be fighting our own battles without first consulting with the man upstairs because we have a mighty king that is stronger than any human force. Though I believe we must do our part through prayer and praise I now realize that the Lord will answer all of our cries and pleas if we simply allow him to do so.

My entire life I stood behind the pew in my small church and sang along to Amazing Grace with the little women in the choir. Most people know the lyrics to the tune like the back of their hand, but do we ever stop and truly analyze their meaning? I had an epiphany as I was humming the old hymn recently. The words, “I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I see”, were running through my frantic mind on repeat as I sped down the interstate, pushed my buggy through the grocery store, and brushed my teeth. That evening, as I finally curled up beneath the comfort of my sheets, the true meaning of those words hit me like a train. Though I have known the meaning behind each line all along, there was a sudden recollection of sorts. We all as Christians have been lost, especially as we battle the everyday trials within our hectic lives. We have all been blind to our own wrong doings and mistakes, but when we surrender our hearts and minds to the Lord, we are truly found and the world is much clearer than ever before.