In case this week is hard for you…

Ten years ago this week was one of the hardest of my life.

I wasn't just kind of sad or mildly discouraged. I had fallen into despair. So many hard things had happened, and it felt like so much had been taken from me. Every attempt to make things better fell apart. I felt like nothing would ever be okay again.

This week I've been taking a look at my life now, and I'm amazed at where I am. It has led me to reflect on all that has changed in those 10 years in between.

Many of the things I felt so upset about that week 10 years ago haven't changed. Yet my life is so different. I am so different. I think what is most different is my understanding of my worth - the deeply rooted confidence that I am loved beyond my wildest imagination.

What led me to that new understanding? It wasn't the power of positive thinking (though my perspective did need to shift). It wasn't just hard work and determination (though it did take lots of both). I didn't just pray my way through it (though prayer was essential at every step of the journey).

What led me there was hope. Not so much in telling myself that things would change or get better. But in opening myself to the possibility that there was more to my life than what I could see.

The beginnings of this felt pitiful. My prayers were tiny. My acts of self-care were less than stellar. Sometimes it felt like all I could do was take the next breath. But I did. And I never could have imagined where those tiny beginnings would lead.

Having hope didn't suddenly make things better. It kept me in touch with the one who makes all things new. My life didn't change because I'm lucky or worked hard enough. My life is the way it is now because I took that next breath and opened myself to new life.

So, hold on, dear friend. And just take that next breath. You are welcoming new life - even now.