Do you feel like you are trying to recover from the hardest season of your life?  Do you feel like you know God will work everything out more than you believe it right now?

Here is some good news.  There will come a time when you can breathe again.  A time when you no longer use your smile to disguise pain, but rather to exude joy.  A time when you will reflect on God’s goodness and mercy through that season you are no longer in.

What is this “season”?  I am talking about a storm, and there are a few parts associated with a storm.  There is the struggle and the renewal.  But what about what is in the middle of these two stages?  What about the journey to the comeback?  What about that part where you start to climb out of the storm, but you aren’t quite feeling fully renewed?  How do you handle that journey?  That transition?  That process of refocusing?

It’s like coming out of a fog.  You start to get this clarity that you wish you had before now.  Perhaps your difficult season lasted so long that you replaced hope with what seemed like a new troubling “normal.”  Maybe you feel stuck.  You know what you do not want to go back to, but that leap of faith forward is challenging.

Four thoughts on what to do in the middle during that transition from teary days to brighter times.

1. Forgive yourself.  This is hard to do.  Actually, even labeling this process as “hard” is an understatement.  Doubt, fear, regret, frustration, and shame nag at you.  You may think, “If only I pushed through that storm quicker” or “if only I was obedient to God sooner.”  When you don’t follow what God tells you to do, you may end up in spaces that God never intended you to be.  But, ask God for forgiveness.  He will forgive you and will never leave you.  To move forward though, you also need to forgive yourself.

Practical Tip: Make a list of the lessons you learned and the ways you grew during that difficult season.  There’s something about your character, your faith, and/or your mindset that was tested and strengthened through the storm.  This may help you to refocus by seeing what wisdom and growth came out of the season.  Refer to that list when you are tempted to forget to show yourself some forgiveness. 

2. Surround yourself with community even when you don’t feel like it.  I heard someone once say that we were never meant to do life alone. This makes sense.  Remember those doubts, fears, regrets, frustrations, and shame?  They all get amplified and even more distracting when you are by yourself.  Sure, take time for yourself, but make sure you also have some folks around you who will consistently pray with (and for) you, cry with you, talk with you, encourage you, and who want to see you walk in all that God has for you.

Note: If you need someone to pray with you, want someone to talk with you, or prefer someone to sit with you to keep you company, let someone know.  Text, call, or otherwise tell them.  While your community should reach out to you, you should also reach out to them.  Communicate your needs and know that you are never a burden.

3. Create a playlist with songs that encourage you.  You have to guard your mind, and one way to do that is to put together a playlist of songs that will uplift you.  Everyone’s playlist will look different.

Recommendations:  “Gold” by Joseph Solomon and “2econd Wind” (feat. Kelontae Gavin) by Anthony Brown and group therAPy

4. Journal.  Journaling allows you to have a visual collection of your progress, and to see patterns that may otherwise get lost in the shuffle.  A journal allows you to see and reflect on how you are honestly feeling over a period of time.  You also get to reflect on prayer requests, answered prayers, and reminders of what God promised you.

Alternative:  There are many ways to process and reflect on your thoughts and feelings.  Instead of writing, maybe you decide to express your journey through painting or drawing.

To those in that in-between stage, I pray that you keep going forward.  Things really do get better.  God loves you more than you could ever comprehend.

Blessings and Love,

Purpose Over Fear

*Picture from Pixabay.com