Have you ever been in a place where you just couldn't describe how you were feeling? Maybe it was fear of facing an emotion or maybe it was just so complex that it couldn't be described with a mere label. Sometimes it's more of a rollercoaster rather than one specific way you are feeling.

I can definitely say that I have been there. I am an optimistic person, so I generally try to look for the brighter side of things. although sometimes that bright ray of sunshine is just hard to find. It's so hard to maintain a smile while the tears are rolling. And that is okay. It is okay to not always be okay, and that is a painful lesson I have had to learn. It is so easy to just put on a mask as a means of meeting the standards of society but rarely is that healthy.

It is so much easier to maintain that smile without really having to strive to when my focus isn't on the issue itself. My youth pastor once said that our lives are like a puzzle. God has the entire picture and is only giving us one piece at a time. Whenever I put a puzzle together, I look at the picture on the box to see where I should put each piece, even if the other pieces surrounding it haven't been put down yet. Why is it so hard to trust the One who is placing each piece in what is known to Him as the perfect spot? He can see the overall picture and knows where everything is supposed to be placed.

James 1:2 tells me to count it joy when I am tempted. That's a pretty big feat in general, but especially when all I can see is the problem. I can consider my trials of this life joy when I am fixed on the source of it, Jesus Christ Himself. He has already written the story, and I am just living it piece by piece.

Trials of this life aren't meant to harm me, but instead, purify me. Job 23:10 refers to a man who lost everything he owned and was in the worst state he had ever been in, and he reminds me that once I've been tried, I'll come forth as gold. In order for gold to be purified, it has to go through the fire first. We have to go through the fire and sanctification so that we come more like Christ. It's a beautiful process as a whole, but it's hard in the midst of it.

Instead of being overwhelmed with life's constantly changing circumstances, get overwhelmed with God. Spend time getting to know Him every day, but especially during life's crazy storms. In my own life, I've seen myself learn the most about God and His character when my heart is tender. Make the soil of your heart soft, fertile, and able to bring forth fruit. It's easy to do this when things are going right, but hard times is definitely when your relationship with God becomes just a little more intimate.

As the song says, delight yourself in the Lord. Not just on bad days but every day. We all need Him every day of every hour, even if we don't think so.