Do you ever just have one of those days? Or maybe weeks? Years, even? I think we’ve all been there. We go through times that are exceptionally or even minimally more difficult than others. Especially as college students, and especially at the University of North Carolina where you’re so desperate just to pass that you’re praying for a C, these times can be more frequent than not. The beauty of these times, though, is that you never deal with them alone, or you don’t have to if you do. Everyone around you -- all the faces that you see in passing on a daily basis in between class, to or from work, to or from getting lunch or dinner -- are going through some sort of struggle, more than likely. If they aren’t, then they are the minority; the very blessed minority, I will add. Although we all face trials, and sometimes trials that seem to expand over weeks and even months, there are others dealing with similar and sometimes even the same things, and just knowing this is so reassuring when you feel like you’re drowning and everyone else is still on the boat just watching you fight for your life.

An even greater reassurance than the others around you going through tests and trials the same as you is the reassurance from God himself that He will never leave us nor forsake us. Deuteronomy 31:6 reads, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." No matter what we go through in life, no matter how deep the waters, God will never leave us. He’s always there to pick us back up when we fall and to remind us that we are His and that we are loved and we are important and special, especially during the times that we forget these things and get caught up in all the craziness of life.

When I go through hard times now, I try to remind myself of these things instead of being completely overwhelmed and consumed by daily struggles. It is so easy to fall victim to the daily grind, but if we can remember to keep our focus on what’s eternal rather than what is stressing us out in the moment, we have hope to cling to and a Father to run to when issues that we face become too much for us to handle on our own.

Dealing with tough times is not anything out of the ordinary, and in fact, we were never promised that we would have a perfect life and there would never be any problems. However, we are equipped to deal with these struggles when we have God’s guidance and direction through the lows.

And times of the “lows” in life don’t have to be times of spiritual lows. These hard times actually give us the perfect opportunity to fully trust and rely on God to get us through. This isn’t to say that we should only cry out and seek God when times are hard, because this should be a daily occurrence even when our lives seem to be better than ever. However, the tough times give us the perfect opportunity to demonstrate our faith in God and to know that He will always see us through if we lay our burdens and struggles on Him. Matthew 11:28 reads, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” And this verse could not be truer. If we cast our cares and burdens and worries on the Lord, He will fight our daily battles for us and sustain us so we can keep pushing through the days, weeks, and months still ahead of us. Whether these be tough times in school, in the workplace, in relationships, or in any other area of our lives, God can give us the ultimate peace that we need right in the middle of any storm that we may face. All we have to do is fully rely on Him and completely fall into the arms of a merciful and loving God who will always sustain and always provide for His children. All it takes is our willingness to let go of our daily struggles and fully rely on Him.

Your problems may be bigger than you, but I can promise you that they are not bigger than God.