You know that moment when someone asks “Hey, how are you?” and you don’t even hesitate–you smack a smile on your face and say “Good!” just as cheerfully as you possibly can? The other person believes you…but you don’t. You are long past being able to convince yourself that you’re ‘good’. 

Everyone has had some sort of struggle in this world. Some people have more than others, and everyone’s struggles are different. But one thing that doesn’t change is that, at some point, we all feel like we’ve hit rock-bottom. We all wonder if it can get any worse. We seriously begin to believe that God is never going to get us out. 

Maybe this is you right now–or maybe this was you three weeks ago, and you’re still struggling with the memory of it. 

Or maybe this is you, and has been you for longer than you can remember. 

If any of those are true, then here is what I want you to know: this suffering has a purpose. It is not forever. And God is still with you, even though you can’t feel Him. 

And yes, I know that most of you don’t believe that last point. It’s a bit cliche–and it’s VERY hard to believe. But God loves you. You are incredible. You are a gift. And He’s not going to leave you without His light in this dark place. All of that being said, here are two ‘hopes’ to give you some light during your struggles. 

Your Suffering Has A Purpose

Do you know that many Catholic saints have experienced something called a ‘Dark Night of the Soul’? Basically, this is a period of time when someone questions their belief in God, along with a great agony and sorrow. St. Faustina, who went through hers mostly during her novitiate, thought it might never end. In such pain as that, it is easy to wonder if God has abandoned you. If, maybe, He stopped caring the last time you made a huge mistake, and now you can never earn His love again. But there’s a critical flaw in that kind of thinking: we can’t earn God’s love. It is freely given, and we will never lose it. There is nothing in the world that we can do to make Jesus stop loving us. So suffering can’t be the result of losing God’s love or attention. Why, then, do we suffer? How can a good God allow us to go through that pain?

Very simply, my answer is this: because your suffering has a purpose. God uses our suffering to draw us closer to Him, making us into the best versions of ourselves. Now, let me make one thing clear: this does not mean that God causes suffering. If something is evil, we know it cannot come from God. But we also know that God can take evil and use it for good. So, while God might not have brought about your specific suffering, He is using it. And, yes, sometimes this belief requires a lot of trust. You may not know who ‘the best version of yourself’ is, or where you’ll end up when this is over. But I guarantee you that if you stick with God, the place you’ll end up and the person you’ll be are a thousand times better than if you tried to do it alone. That’s the first hope, my friend. It will be hard to remember–and even harder to believe–but don’t give up. This suffering isn’t forever, and God always, always wants what’s best for you in the long-run. 

God is still with you

This is the second hope…and also the part where most of you inwardly roll your eyes, close the tab, and move on with life. I know, you’ve heard this a million times. It’s been practically drilled into you from birth! But after all the prayers, all the crying, and all the sleepless nights…you’re still here. And you feel alone. And even though you look at a Crucifix–or read through Christ’s Passion–and try to remind yourself that God wouldn’t leave you…you just don’t believe it.

But think about this for a moment: God knew everything you would ever do before He made you. He knew all of your sins before you even thought to commit them. Why would He make you, knowing all of that, if He planned to leave you to do this alone? There would have been no reason! It would be like you deciding to bake a cake with the full knowledge that it would turn out badly, and then making it anyways and throwing it out when you realized you added salt instead of sugar.

Can you see what I mean? If God planned to let you do this alone, there would be no reason for your existence. And there obviously is a reason for your existence (For I know the plans I have for you, plans to give you hope and a future–Jeremiah 29:11), so God’s not going to leave you alone! Otherwise there’s no logic to it–and God is a God of order, not of chaos. 

 Remember, He wants you in Heaven with Him. He’s going to do whatever He has to do to get you there–and that’s probably not going to include leaving you by yourself! You might not always feel Him, but He is there. He didn’t ever plan to leave you. His plan was always to do exactly what He needed to do so that you could spend eternity with Him. 

He loves you–and you can’t even imagine how much. So the next time you’re having a bad day, and you feel like you’ll never be done trudging through the darkness, look up to the sky and say “I know You’re still here. I trust that this has a purpose. Jesus, I trust in You.” 

He’s going to get you through this. I promise. 

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” –John 1:5

“In the dark night of the soul, bright flows the river of God.” –St. John of the Cross