Can God Really Give You Peace During Your Struggles?

Have you ever wondered if God was really real? If He was really with you in your hardest moments? If everything you'd ever learned about Him was even true? If you have, don't worry. We all do sometimes. Even though I am a Christian, and I have been saved by His grace, I've still wondered if He was actually there. It's hard to believe in things you can't see. But that, my friends, is called faith.

 These past few days I have been an anxious mess. My first day of school was coming up, and I was absolutely terrified. Especially on Wednesday, the day before my first day. I literally cried non-stop all day long. I was blinded by my past experience with school. The year of 5th grade. If you have anxiety, you'll know what I mean when I'm saying this, but when memories of past panic attacks come up, it's like a monkey on your back that will never go away. I just could not have another year like 5th grade. Ever. So, I was convinced this new schooling thing I was doing was going to be the same as something in the past; something that already happened and is now long gone. My family, friends, and even Instagram followers were praying for me and sending me encouraging words throughout that whole day. The support meant a lot, don't get me wrong, but I was so caught up in the worries racing through my mind that I didn't take them to heart.
 I continued panicking all day long, and soon it was time for bed. I had turned off my alarm for the next morning, and I was planning on sleeping in, giving my parents a hard time, and letting fear win the battle. Luckily, right before I went to sleep, I decided to turn it back on. When morning came, and I heard my alarm ringing, I was so tempted to once again, give in. But I didn't. I made the choice to trust God. I gave everything to Him; all of my worry, all of my fear, all of my thoughts, and got up to get ready for the day. Trust me, it was hard. But I am so glad I did it, and I wouldn't go back and change anything, even if I could, except for all of the panic attacks and anxiety I had over it.
 By the time we pulled up to school, and after all of the encouraging music I listened to on the way there, I felt so courageous! We were running a but late, and my mom needed to get everyone out of the car, and put the babies in the stroller, so I told her goodbye in the car, and walked up all by myself. I know this sounds ridiculous and silly, but it was a huge accomplishment for me! The girl who barely ever goes anywhere without her mom. The girl who is always scared. The girl who begged her mom to stay the whole entire day, just so I knew she was there if I needed her. I did it. To be honest the time flew by, but I actually enjoyed school! This wasn't like 5th grade at all. It was new and exciting, and it was exactly where God wanted me to be.
 Like I said, Wednesday was a super hard day for me. On that day, my mom was explaining to me how when she had to go on an airplane to get to her dad's funeral, and she was terrified, just like I was, that God gave her this indescribable peace. When I got home from school, I told her, "Mom? You know how God gave you that incredible peace when you had to fly to your dad's funeral? I know what you mean now." Because guess what?! God gave me peace throughout the entire day! I had zero anxiety. ZERO! I had a great time! And best of all, I feel like the battle of learning to trust God is finally over. And I won.
 If I hadn't turned that alarm back on, and hadn't got up the next morning, hadn't gotten ready to go, hopped into our car, and walked into that school building, I never would've experienced that.

 I now feel like I fully understand, and can apply my favorite Bible verses, Philippians 4:6-9, to my life!

 So whatever it is that you may be going through right now, I want you to know that He is always there. And He sees you when you're hurting, He hears you when you're crying. He is for you, not against you, and He wants to help you! Use my story to encourage you and give you hope. God can move mountains! He can work miracles! And He can help you get through whatever it is that you're going through!