He Was Always There

I cried myself to sleep many nights as a child because I felt alone without my parents. I was willing to love men more than I loved myself and crushed when the relationships did not work out. I was a child trying to raise a child, I was a girl who could always encourage others while struggling at times to encourage myself. I know how it feels to have a broken heart and how it feels not to fit in. I also know how it feels to have more bills than money. I know how it feels to rely solely on my strength and the strength of others to make it. I know how painful it feels to be betrayed and how difficult it could be to forgive and forget. I know how it feels to grieve the loss of a love one so much that I was willing to give up everything to have them (my grandmother and grandfather) back. I know how it feels to trust the wrong women, because I was not properly trained on how to be and understand a woman. I know how it feels to associate pain with love. I also know how it feels to live with shame, because I was taught to pretend like things were okay when they were not. Through it all, I know that there is only one reason why I did not lose my mind and why I am still here today. It was because He was always there.

Please join me in thanking Him for loving us when we did not love ourselves, believing in us when we did not believe in ourselves, and sticking by our side while we learned the importance of making Him a priority. More importantly, let’s pray for others to acknowledge the power of His presence.