Life. It can be great. It can be happy. It can be peaceful and calm.

But sometimes, it can be tough, unfair. Even downright cruel.

It’s in those moments of worry, anxiety, fear and stress that we get to decide how things will affect us. That’s when you need to remember the pen is still in your hand. Don’t let the hard and bad times define you. Keep writing. Sure things may not always go as planned. But most good stories are filled with twists and turns. Look the fear and doubt in the eyes at those times and show it who is boss! You and your story is so much bigger than those hard times!

Learn from the tough times. Don’t let it stop you from living your life! Those times help shape us, and in turn we get better at writing our stories. If you read closely and take it in, there usually is some lesson there. And God is there beside you whispering “you’ve got this, I’m with you!” When you come out on the other side, you realize you really are stronger than you gave yourself credit for. It’s amazing to me just how strong we can be. In my early 20’s, my husband and I were faced with some things most would never be able to grasp. We were going through things with our oldest son that we couldn’t control. Scary things. But we didn’t give up. We pushed forward and gave God the pen. He got us ALL through that situation. We pulled every ounce of strength we had together. Strength I didn’t know we had. I didn’t know how deep my faith ran until that time. We have an amazing God. He blessed us so much more than we could’ve ever imagined. What a beautiful part of our story. One we keep writing with God’s help!

Grow from those unfair times. These are definitely the ones we can’t control. But honey, remember God controls it all. Put those things in his hands. He will take that pen and write for you until you can do it again for yourself. When you feel like you have hit rock bottom, remember you are strong and you are fierce! And God is on your side! And yes, maybe we change because of the things we go through, good and bad. But that’s all part of your story!

Don’t let the bad, tough times make you stop writing. You get to decide how your story goes. Start a new page. Start a new chapter. Don’t forget you have the greatest co-author of all.

We all get a little writer’s block sometimes. We all have obstacles. Take a little time, search your heart for where you want to go next. Remember the tough times help us appreciate all the good! Once you know where you are going and feel ready,pick that pen back up and keep writing! Because all the good and all the bad, make up the wonderful story that is yours!