Rainbows. Butterflies. Sunshine. Happy, smiling faces. And the list goes on. It seems everyone wants to build a life of happiness, yet people are struggling to actually experience the internal joy their heart and mind long for. Don't get me wrong, I am the ultimate optimist. My glass is not only half-full, its mostly full. I love to smile and I think every day is intended to be the greatest day. In the midst of the over optimism that I can often live with...

I have had to deal with the hard reality that life hurts.

If you have lived for a reasonable amount of time, you probably know life hurts as well. Hurt comes quickly and in unanticipated ways. Emotional pain, physical pain, loss, death, disappointment. Life hurts. The brokenness of life seems to be a consistent reality for humans everywhere. Life is not perfect...dare I say because people are not perfect.

What do you do in the midst of the pain?

Choose hope...find a truer truth and fix your sights on this daily

Cultivate connections of love and support...life is a struggle at times, do not struggle alone

Connect to a worldview that declares life conquers death...Jesus declares light shines in the darkness and the darkness cannot put it out

In my own journey and my own life story, I have longed for a hope that lasts beyond the storms. The storms of life come in various forms. Some storms are the result of my own choices. Yet other storms are the result of other's choices. Regardless, storms come and hurt happens. The pain in my own life taught me how to pray. It was my anguish that led me to pour out deep heart cries through prayer. I discovered a deeper connection to Jesus.  Jesus is near, present and active in my life, and my awareness of this grew through prayer and uncertainty.

The pain in my own life taught me how to pray.

If we simply focus on the pain, we will hurt, lose heart and have no hope. We must find a hope that outlasts the hurt. We must connect to a truer truth. We need to experience life overcoming death. We need to experience forgiveness and redemption. In the darkest hours, we need to see light breaking in. I am finding God declares He is love and He sent Jesus to express His love toward us. If you are hurting, find hope in the loving God.