A Thought from God

9 years ago today, I began a season of my life where I was broken and completely confused. After watching my choir teacher fight cancer for many years, she passed away April 20th, 2008. While that time was extremely difficult, God has used it to shape me and mold me into the person that I am today. This day serves as a reminder of that brokenness and how God has helped me overcome it. Today, God brought a beautiful thought to my mind and I just wanted to share.

I was thinking back to my time in college. I had one friend in particular that really helped me with my battle with depression. She was there for me without always realizing it. I remember one year that we had coffee on April 19th. I wasn't in a very good place but I didn't really want to talk about it. I just needed someone to be there and this friend was (even if she didn't know how much I needed her in that moment).

Then this same friend started her own battle with depression. I was able to return the favor and be there for her. Our friendship deepened, knowing that we were out there for each other. That didn't always mean talking about it, sometimes it did. Really, it was just about knowing that someone out there understood what you were going through. To me, that was the most powerful weapon in my battle.

Today I woke up feeling a little sad. I remember this day as one of the darkest and hardest days of my life. The day that my choir teacher, Cathy Turner, passed away after a hard-fought battle with cancer. It was a tipping point for me, and I was in a bad place. As the years have gone, I have grown to feel more joy towards this day, knowing how far I've come and knowing that I will see her again some day in heaven.

This morning when I woke up, I had a thought. I realized that my friend, the one who helped me in my battle of depression, her birthday is today April 20th. The exact same day that my choir teacher passed away. The exact same day that I hit rock bottom. The exact same day that I often dread because it brings up those emotions again.

How awesome that God put that thought in my mind. That the friend who helped me through that battle in college was born on this day. That I can be thankful and grateful for her and her life instead of drowning in the thoughts of the past. Her life is a reminder to me that hope and joy are always possible. That healing is possible and that we can overcome even the darkest of times and the hardest of battles.

We serve a faithful God, a sovereign God. He knows our needs- He gives us people to help us along the way. Today I am thankful for my dear friend: her life, her journey, and our friendship. I am also thankful for my choir teacher, Cathy Turner: a fierce follower of Jesus who taught me to believe in myself, to use the gifts God has given me, and to trust God in all that I do.