Learning to praise through the pain and surrender control to God’s plan.

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God, I’m not okay.

But somehow, I can come to You with that—because I know You already understand how I’m feeling and everything that’s going on. In this moment, I’m not okay with it. But I’m learning not to let my feelings control what I do or who I become.

I’m learning to trust You… even when I don’t understand.

Lord, I’m learning what it means to trust You fully. And in that process, I have to be honest—I’m not okay.

God, I had plans for my life. My plans. The way I thought everything should go. This was before I truly built a relationship with You. When I came into a relationship with You, I should have surrendered those plans… but I didn’t. I still tried to do things my way.

And now I’m learning.

Sometimes I don’t know if it’s a blessing or a burden to see the potential in people. I see what they could be, and I find myself trying to encourage them to get there. I also see the potential in myself—the person You created me to be.

But sometimes… things just aren’t working out.

It’s like I can see the ending, but the steps to get there feel impossible. Especially on the days when I’m not okay. On the days when life isn’t going the way I thought You planned for me.

Those are the days I want to shut down. To pull away from everything and everyone.

But through Walking By Faith with Char, through what You’ve given me to share, I know I have to be honest. People need to know that this walk isn’t easy.

It’s not.

There are trials. There are tribulations. There are hard days.

And on those days, I’m learning something new…

I’m learning to praise my way through.

Yes, it hurts. Yes, things may not be going as planned. Yes, I don’t always understand people or situations the way I thought I did.

But even then… You are still here.

You are guiding me.
You are showing me a better way.

So today, I just want to encourage someone else who may not be okay:

It’s okay.

It’s okay to not be okay—as long as you don’t stay there.

God is there. He’s waiting for you to come to Him. To bring your problems, your pain, your confusion. He will never leave you, nor forsake you.

I had to learn that.

And I’m still learning.

So I pray that my honesty—my not being okay today—helps you realize that you’re not alone.

It’s okay to not be okay.

Be blessed.

— Char