Are you in a dark place in your life? Does it feel like your world is crashing down on you? Or do you find much of your life going well and yet there is this one area that is so disappointing to you, maybe even painful? It is easy to feel alone, like no one else has ever been in this same place. Maybe you feel alone because you are sure no one else really wants to know the real answer to, “How are you?” This isolation from others contributes to your despair. And it seems like the troubles will never end. As Sarah Young reminds us, “It’s easy to project that darkness into the future…and to give up and let the darkness become your companion.”

Wherever you are in your journey, whatever difficult turns in the path that you encounter, there is a truth we need to remember: there is Light to guide us. All we need to do to dispel darkness is to embrace the Light and let it shine brightly within you. Says Young, “For (God’s) children, aloneness is really just an illusion. The world is alive with the (God’s) vibrant presence. The more aware of (God) you are, the more alive you will feel.”

Are you looking for a way out of despair and loneliness and a way to finding real hope today? Cultivate a mind and heart that shuts out the noise and chaos, and leads you into God’s presence. Let his love for you soak in and experience real peace and hope.