Finding Hope in the Midst of Heartache: Navigating Seasons of Pain, Doubt, and Healing with God

‘𝙰𝚖 𝙸 𝚐𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛?

The woman in the mirror with sleep-deprived eyes and a hollow heart revealed the depth of my heartache. Have you been there? Have you walked through a season of betrayal, self-doubt, or unexpected circumstances?

I’m currently walking through a season of supporting my husband who is now in recovery. The wounds from the aftermath of hitting rock bottom are still fresh. We’re still grappling in the dark to find a new normal. At the same time right before my whole world was obliterated through his addiction, I felt God pushing me to resign from a job I loved. Suddenly the friends whom I thought were friends disappeared.

That was the final blow.

All that was left was me, my circumstances, my pain, and God.

Maybe you’ve had these feelings and moments too. You’re mad at the world and you’re mad because of the pain and feel like you’re all alone. You might even admit you’re mad at God right now.

If so, I’m right there with you. I know your pain all too well—the pain of wondering why God is letting you hurt. The pain of being stripped of the comfort and routine that was once your life. The pain of being sifted and shaken.

What’s worse is feeling weak—you thought you should be handling this better than how you are. You’re embarrassed that you’re not as strong as you thought you were.

Here’s the thing: You aren’t supposed to do this on your own or in your own strength.

𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐮𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐮𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐢𝐦, 𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐇𝐢𝐦 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫. 𝐇𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐇𝐢𝐦 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞.

We wrestle when we face the death of a dream.

We wrestle and buckle under the weight of long-carried burdens.

We wrestle with the pain of a loved one in addiction.

We wrestle with our teens who strive for independence in all the wrong ways.

We wrestle with feeling overlooked or left behind.

We wrestle with friendships and the challenges of rejection, hurt feelings, and navigating rough waters.

We wrestle with a crisis that is now our daily life.

We wrestle with the wait that never seems to end.

There’s a purpose in the wrestling. The kind of wrestle that God invites us to is not an easy or quick match. It requires that we bring our broken hearts to Him over and over as we navigate the murky depth of pain between how life was supposed to be and how it is in our current circumstances.

He’s not forcing us to wrestle because we deserve pain. He invites us to wrestle because He wants to bless us. He wants to mend our hearts in new ways that reflect Him. He invites you to wrestle because He wants to show you or give you things that you can’t see or receive any other way. The promise that He whispers as we come to Him over and over: He will work all things together for your good.

We may not see it now but the wrestling is preparing us to rely on Him and build on His transformative foundation—the kind that can never be shaken. And when the wrestling season ends—your pain will be redeemed. Your heart and mind will be steadfast.

Dare to run to God in the midst of your wrestling season.