How to navigate difficult times

Everyone goes through challenging situations at some point or another in their lives. However, the question remains, how do you navigate the painful circumstances that life sometimes throws at you? Knowing where to turn to receive the love that heals the brokenness in our hearts and souls is still to be discovered by many. Oftentimes, not knowing where to turn forces us into a cycle of pain and unhealthy patterns. 

Truth be told, this is a place I have found myself several times in my life. Over the years I have experienced some deeply painful things. Such as childhood trauma, the breakdown of my marriage, the feelings of rejection and many failures and disappointments. At these times it is normal to feel that the grip of pain pierces deep down to your soul and renders your very being helpless and needy. As you would imagine, accompanying this pain is a desperate desire to experience relief. 

This state of helplessness meshed with a desire for freedom from pain has a way 

of convincing you that even the most senseless things will give you the freedom you need. Hopelessly, you grapple with anything you find, good and toxic relationships, overeating, shopping sprees, binge-watching TV series, and sometimes even acting out through bad behaviour. You might experience a fleeting period of relief, but this moment quickly passes and you are back to where you started, still grappling with the weight of the pain.

What then is the answer to dealing with the pain you feel in your soul? You see when you are going through a difficult situation, your soul is experiencing pain, and this pain means that you need a place to turn to to find love that heals. Let me break it down a little further. Children are created by God to turn themselves to their parents to nourish their souls with love. Children are like little vases given to our parents. The parent's job is to love and nourish their soul and fill it up to be a full and beautiful vase.

However, by the time we reach adulthood, we are no longer turned to our parents to fill us up as they did when we were children. That does not mean that they don’t love us; it simply means that their love can no longer satisfy the deepest longings and desires of your souls. 

What that also means is that you have reached a state of maturity where the

deepest needs of your soul, in this case, the need for healing can only be  

satisfied by Jesus and when you go through painful situations in life, you are to turn to Jesus. Yes, you sometimes have friends and family that stand by you and help you but they cannot heal us.

The Bible tells us in Matthew 11:28 "Come unto me all you who labour and are a heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls”. This is an invitation from Jesus for all to come to him and to find rest for our souls.

This passage is basically revealing to us that a relationship with Jesus is the antidote for all of life's challenges. To know him is to know you have a secure place to turn the pain in your soul. To know him is to have an unlimited supply of grace and love to meet your every need. To know him is to have access to the balm of Gilead who heals the body, soul and spirit.

Now, this invitation is twofold. Firstly, it is for those who have not yet been saved and who will have to accept him into their lives for the first time. Romans 10:9 says “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

Secondly, this invitation also means that we have continuous access to Jesus and we should bring to His feet every aspect of our lives where we are feeling heavy, weighed down or beaten up by life. He is gentle and lowly in heart and can carry all our burdens and heal the deepest parts of our souls.

So, for those who are still struggling, turn yourself to Jesus and receive His love for your souls. If you are feeling lonely and empty inside, turn to Him to fill you up. If you have been hurt by people who should have loved you but failed, turn yourself to Jesus, if you are feeling burdened and sorrowful due to sin turn to Jesus for forgiveness.