Finding God in the Hardest Seasons

It felt like the ground beneath me disappeared overnight (literally). Grief has a way of making everything
feel unfamiliar. The things that once felt certain suddenly become so fragile. I remember trying to hold
myself together while silently asking God questions I didn’t even know how to put into words. Why this?
Why now? How do I keep moving forward? Who am I without him? What is life without my dad?

I thought being strong in God meant never struggling, never doubting, never crying out in pain. But
through losing my dad, God showed me something different. Faith is not pretending the storm doesn’t
hurt; instead, faith is trusting God is still holding you in the middle of it.

There were days I felt exhausted emotionally and spiritually. Days where worship felt heavy, days where
prayers were just tears, and days where I completely disassociated. Yet somehow, God kept carrying me.
Even when I felt weak, He remained steady. Isaiah 41:10 became something I clung to deeply.

God didn’t promise life would never throw curveballs, but He did promise He would never leave us to face
them alone. Looking back now, I can see how God met me in places of brokenness I never wanted to
experience. He used the pain to deepen my faith and allowed the grief to teach me dependence. He used
my loss to remind me that hope in Him is stronger than anything this world can take away.

In baseball, hitters study curveballs because they know they’re coming eventually. The pitch may break
unexpectedly, but preparation and trust help them stay grounded at the plate. Life works the same way. We
cannot control every pitch life throws at us, but we can decide who stands beside us in the batter’s box. For
me, that unwavering foundation became Jesus.

Psalm 34:18 says, “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” I experienced that
closeness personally, not just in big miraculous moments, but in the quiet ones too, in the people who
prayed for me, in the peace that made no sense, and especially in the strength to keep going when I didn’t
want to and thought I couldn’t.

Losing my dad will always be one of the hardest seasons of my life. Grief doesn’t simply disappear, but
neither does God’s faithfulness. What once felt like the end of my strength became the beginning of a
deeper faith. Now, when life throws another curveball, I don’t stand at the plate the same way I used to. I
stand knowing God has already carried me through one of the hardest innings of my life, and if He carried
me then, He will carry me again.

Romans 8:28 is a daily reminder that not all things are good. Losing someone you love is not good. Pain is
not good. Grief is not easy. But God is able to bring purpose, growth, healing, and hope even out of the
most trying season, and for me, it was my biggest heartbreak.

If you’re currently facing one of life’s curveballs, I want to remind you that God is with you, and when life
may look and feel uncertain, His Word remains true. Sometimes the strongest faith is built in the hardest seasons, and sometimes the curveball you never wanted becomes the very thing that teaches you how
faithful God truly is.