When we’re stressed out, tired, or not feeling well, it’s easy to get discouraged. With traumatic events such as the death of a loved one or a divorce, it’s natural to get depressed. When we experience life changes like retirement, relocating, or a career change, it’s expected that we may feel lost. None of these reactions mean that we have lost our faith or our spirituality. It simply means that we’re human. 

So, how do we navigate these uncharted waters? First of all, we must cut ourselves some slack. We are assured that “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1 NIV). What we live through, even the greatest heroes of faith in the Bible have experienced. Second, rather than dwelling on today’s troubles, we ought to remember other tough times in our lives, how hopeless we have felt, and how God carried us through each one. We need to remind ourselves that we’ve already survived 100 percent of our worst days, and we can survive this. Jesus explained that it is normal to have struggles in life. Finally, we should talk with a trusted friend. “As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend” (Proverbs 27:17 NLT). So, we must take heart. We are going to be okay. The Father’s got our backs.