A Reminder that God Will Never Abandon You
By Tess Hayes
Tess is the author of May You Shine: Love Letters to the Hurting, Healing, and Growing Heart. She lives in Minneapolis, MN, where she was born and raised, and finds joy in spending time with her friends and family, soaking up nature, adventuring, creating, and staying active.
I grew up in a religious family where I rarely missed Mass on a Sunday, attended Catholic schooling kindergarten through college and said Grace before every meal. I recited my prayers as I fell asleep at night, taught Vacation Bible School and Sunday School and attended Christian camps in the summer.
As I grew up, I watched as my freedom led me down a path not quite as neat and tidy as it once had been. I no longer lived in the “bubble” I was so accustomed to. I began to prioritize partying, boys, and my social life above walking alongside God. I spent most of my twenties entangled in emotionally abusive relationships and fell into a toxic relationship with alcohol.
When everything was going well – when I was having fun and able to let loose, getting along with my boyfriend at the time, surrounded by tons of friends – I didn’t feel like I needed God. I had this whole life thing under control. It was important to have a relationship with God, but I didn’t need to make that the center of my life. I could handle it.
But, when everything was falling apart – when I allowed alcohol to tighten its grip on me, when my boyfriend dumped me, when I was needing to find a new social circle – I fell to my knees begging God to help me. I felt hopeless and helpless. I knew I couldn’t get through this on my own.
Over the past couple of years, I’ve watched in utter amazement as God has led me out of the darkness. I’ve watched as He’s brought me a man who I know he hand-crafted specifically just for me — a man with sound character, never-ending support, a generous heart, and fervent love. I’ve watched as He’s guided me down a path of sobriety, renewing my spirit and mind and lifting the fog of addiction from my life. I’ve watched as He’s gracefully removed those from my life no longer meant to be there and hand-selected other friends for me to deepen my relationship with and connect with on a soul level.
I’ve watched as God has forgiven me for my sins, time and time again. He has held me in his strong yet gentle hands when I don’t have the strength to support myself. He has filled my heart with peace, even when I can’t seem to make the tears stop flowing. He has sat alongside me every single step of the way.
That’s the thing about God that I’ve come to learn – He never leaves us. Never. We might leave Him and come back and leave and come back a million times. But, He is always there. He doesn’t care what we’ve done or how badly we’ve messed up or how many times we break a promise to Him. All He cares about is that we ultimately return to Him. Because He will be there waiting to welcome us home, smiling, arms outstretched, ready to embrace us with his unconditional love.
Often it feels like God has abandoned us and we are lost, lonely, and scared. We look at where we’re at and don’t know how we got there or how we’re going to get out. But, I want to remind you that when you feel like you’re at your weakest, God is at His most powerful. He is working overtime. He is doing everything He can to get your attention, to have you focus your eyes back on Him, to be able to tell you, “My sweet child. I’m right here. I have not gone anywhere, nor will I ever leave you.”
So, regardless of where you’re at on your journey right now, I challenge you to reach out and grab His hand. Tell Him that you’re ready to have Him take control of your life – that you’re ready for Him to lead the way.
