Joy Is Coming: Sometimes You Just Need to Be Restored

Happy Tuesday! ❤️

October is almost over, and honestly, it feels like yesterday when the month began. Time really does fly!

Thank you all so much for sharing your thoughts with me concerning my last post. Your comments and messages meant a lot to me. If you haven’t read it yet, I shared some personal thoughts about grief, faith, and the passing of Minister Toluwanisings. You can read it here:

When Grief Makes You Question God: My Thoughts on the Passing of Minister Toluwanisings

Sometimes, I feel like we can all relate to David in the Bible. One moment, he is writing a Psalm glorifying God, and the next, he is crying out to God from a cave, asking Him to rescue him from his enemies.

And isn’t that what our relationship with God can look like sometimes?

One day, we are full of faith, praising Him and reminding everyone of His goodness. The next, we are struggling to find the words to pray, wondering why certain things happened and asking God questions we don’t have answers to.

But I’ve come to realize that having questions, experiencing grief, or feeling overwhelmed doesn’t mean we’ve stopped loving God. Sometimes, we are simply human beings trying to navigate painful seasons while holding on to our faith.

And sometimes, we need a reminder that God is still with us, even when we don’t feel His presence as strongly as we once did.

Sometimes, God Uses People to Remind Us That We Are Not Alone

I started praying again and hoping for the best. To be honest, I don’t know any other way than to pray. I’ve been a child of God for so long that, even when I struggle, I know where to turn.

God is such a kind Father. In the middle of our troubles, doubts, and painful seasons, He doesn’t abandon us.

During the period when I was caught up in my feelings and wasn’t praying as I usually would, I had to attend something important with other people who were pursuing the same goal.

Picture me sitting there, minding my business, exchanging pleasantries with the people at my table. One of them was this precious woman who is now my sister in Christ and study partner.

After we exchanged pleasantries and realized I was Nigerian, she asked me a question I wasn’t expecting.

“Do you know Apostle Joshua Selman?”

I nodded and said yes, thinking that was enough of an answer.

Then she asked if I knew Pastor Jerry Eze.

At this point, I was listening!

She told me she had listened to one of Apostle Joshua Selman’s messages while driving, The Grace Called Favor. And guess what? I had listened to that same message before!

Something about that conversation made me smile. For a moment, I wasn’t thinking about the things that had been hurting me. I was simply enjoying a conversation with someone who shared my faith and understood something that was important to me and did i mention she’s American?

We spent much of the day doing things together, and just like that, I had made a new friend. We shared similar values and were both working toward the same goal.

And let me not even get started on the other day when she messaged me asking me to join Pastor Nathaniel Bassey’s challenge!

At this point, I almost wanted to ask her, “What if you were a Nigerian girl?” 😂😂

Honestly, it was such a beautiful experience.

Now, was this encounter proof that every difficult situation would immediately turn around? No. But it reminded me of something I needed in that moment: God can use the most unexpected people and conversations to encourage us.

Sometimes, you don’t need a long sermon. You don’t need someone to explain every painful thing you are experiencing. Sometimes, you just need to encounter someone who reminds you of the God you serve, makes you smile, and helps you remember that there is still goodness in your life.

And sometimes, that simple encounter is enough to lift your spirit for that moment.

I may never know all the reasons behind that meeting, but I am grateful for it.

Even in Difficult Seasons, There Is Still Something to Be Thankful For

I am learning that difficult seasons don’t last forever. And even while we are walking through them, there can still be something to thank God for.

This doesn’t mean we should pretend that we aren’t hurting. It doesn’t mean we should suppress our emotions, rush through grief, or force ourselves to be happy when we aren’t.

It simply means that our pain doesn’t have to be the only thing we see.

We can acknowledge that something hurts and still be grateful for the people God has placed around us. We can have questions and still pray. We can experience disappointment and still believe that better days are possible.

I am learning to take my hurt, troubles, and questions to God in prayer rather than allowing them to keep me away from Him.

And speaking of taking care of ourselves during difficult seasons, I recently stumbled upon something that reminded me of another important lesson.

Sometimes, You Don’t Need to Give Up. You Need to Be Restored.

I was going through a folder of videos I had recorded for Suicide Prevention Month. I had recorded one that never made it to my social media pages, and my social media manager recently asked me why we hadn’t posted it and several others.

Honestly, I had been so busy last month that I completely forgot to include it among the videos scheduled for posting.

As I went through my folder the other day, I stumbled upon it again, and I couldn’t help but smile.

I immediately knew I wanted to share it.

The message was about something we don’t always talk about enough: sometimes, when we feel overwhelmed by life, what we need isn’t another motivational speech. Sometimes, we need to eat. We need to rest. We need to breathe. We need to talk to someone.

Think about Elijah in 1 Kings 19.

Elijah had reached a point of deep exhaustion and despair. He was overwhelmed and wanted to give up. But when God met him in that moment, the first response wasn’t a lecture about how he needed to be stronger.

Elijah was allowed to rest. He was given food and water. He rested again, and he received nourishment before continuing his journey.

I find that reminder so beautiful.

Sometimes, exhaustion can make everything feel hopeless. When we are physically, emotionally, or mentally drained, even the things we once had the strength to handle can begin to feel impossible.

And in those moments, we might mistake exhaustion for failure. We might think we have lost our strength, our joy, or even our sense of purpose.

But what if we need to pause?

What if we need to eat, rest, breathe, pray, and talk to someone we trust?

What if we need to give ourselves permission to acknowledge that we are tired instead of constantly expecting ourselves to keep going?

Rest doesn’t mean you’ve given up. Asking for help doesn’t mean you’re weak. And taking care of yourself doesn’t mean you lack faith.

Sometimes, you may not need to give up. You may simply need to be restored.

I will be sharing this video on my Instagram page this afternoon, and I hope it speaks to someone who needs this reminder.

Please, when you watch it, remember that taking care of yourself matters. And if you are struggling with persistent hopelessness or thoughts of suicide, you deserve support beyond a social media post. Please reach out to someone you trust or a qualified mental health professional.

Joy Is Coming. But Take Care of Yourself Along the Way.

I don’t know what season you are currently navigating. Perhaps you are grieving someone you love. Perhaps you are disappointed about something you prayed for. Maybe you are tired of waiting, tired of being strong, or simply trying to make it through another day.

Whatever your situation may be, I hope you remember this:

You don’t have to have everything figured out today.

You can take your questions to God. You can acknowledge your pain. You can accept help from people who genuinely care about you. You can rest without feeling guilty about it.

And please, don’t overlook the little moments of joy that still find their way into your life.

Sometimes, encouragement comes through a friend. Sometimes, it comes through an unexpected conversation about a familiar sermon. Sometimes, it comes through a message you stumble upon at just the right time.

And sometimes, it comes through a reminder that you have been pushing yourself so hard that you have forgotten to take care of the person doing all the pushing: YOU.

I am learning to embrace these little reminders and to trust God through every season, even when I don’t understand everything happening around me.

Joy is coming. But while you wait, please take care of yourself.

Eat. Rest. Breathe. Pray. Talk to someone.

And when you need help, please don’t be afraid to ask for it.

You are allowed to be a work in progress. You are allowed to have difficult days. You are allowed to rest.

May God give us the grace to trust Him in our difficult seasons, the wisdom to recognize when we need restoration, and the courage to keep going when life feels overwhelming.

Until next time, remember that God is still God, even in the middle of the storm.

With love,

Tabitha ❤️