Even in the lowest of times, God is with us, but we have to listen to hear Him. This is what I experienced when I found myself at a low point in my life.
I was twenty-five, feeling like I was on the precipice of something, but I did not know what. I knew that I faced too much stress on a daily basis. I had anxiety and stress from wanting to be a perfectionist and please everyone at work. I also felt a longing to meet my partner, but had not yet experienced that. I knew I needed to make changes in my life to find happiness, but I did not know the path.
When I finally stopped and looked inward, I realized that there were things in my life that I was neglecting - God, releasing stress, seeking joy. In that moment of stillness, I felt pulled to go to Church.
I found one in my neighborhood and I attended by myself. Sitting in the pew, I started to pray to God, asking Him for guidance on where to start. I then opened my bulletin and found an insert announcing upcoming events. On the first page of the insert, the church was advertising upcoming group therapy sessions and with it the name of the therapist leading the sessions. I felt a peace fall over me and knew immediately that I should make an appointment with that therapist.
Maybe the specifics are different, but have you felt something similar? A feeling that something needs to change.
We all experience this at times in our lives, in our own ways. We feel a sense of shame for not being able to just "figure it out" or want to jump ahead to having it all solved and be on the other side of the discomfort. That discomfort is a signal to be open to what the universe has in store for us and to push us on our path. Since that time in my mid-twenties, I have experienced this again and again in many different ways.
Life is a journey. If we are alive, our purpose to learn through our experiences, especially the difficult ones.
If you are in this place right now, you are loved by God. The path to answers is quite simple: find stillness, release control and your desired outcomes, ask God to guide you and then listen.
How do you listen for God's messages?