It seems almost laughable now, but I used to worry about the most mundane of things, things I had absolutely no control over.  I now see that I worried over nothing.

I have not had an easy life.  Mom leaving us when I was six and being forced to be raised with my grandparents for a while.  Daddy getting into that car wreck that left him a paraplegic when I was nine and dealing with his depression and recovery.  Losing my baby brother, Mychael, when he caught the flu and died as a result of complications a week later.  He was only two.  I still miss him.  And then losing my best friend, Hannah, when she got struck by a drunk driver last year.

Yet through it all, God has taught me to be grateful in all things.  For better or worse, He knew what He was doing.  He knew that I would go through these things (although I didn't), and that He would bring me through them with His mercy and grace.  He was with me the entire time, although I felt so alone, betrayed, and scared.

Because of these tragedies I went through, I am now a much stronger person.  I find myself being able to face tough situations with a strength I didn't even know I had.  Nowadays whenever life threatens to turn me upside down, I find myself going to God in prayer.  God is my rock, my hope, and my salvation.  He's the reason why I am the way I am today.  I have no other explanation.

I'm now fifteen years old.  I'm in high school, in the tenth grade.  I have a wonderful circle of friends, both at school and at church, which I attend nearly every week.  I accepted Christ as my Lord and Saviour when I was thirteen.  That was before losing Hannah last year; I don't know how I possibly could have ever made it through without God.  I give Him all the credit.  While I still cry whenever I think of Hannah (especially now, with the holidays quickly approaching; Thursday is Thanksgiving), I now know she is at peace and is with Jesus, and that comforts me.

God has had to break me to heal my hurts I'd held inside since I was six, when I lost my mother.  Then came Daddy's car wreck and paralysis.  Then losing my brother and my best friend.    I may be a kid, but I have had a lot happen to me, as you can see.

Since I have let go of the guilt, pain, and deprssion and given them all to God, I can handle life's ups and downs better than most adults.  I'm a pillar of strength and I have the Lord as my weapon.  I lean on Him in all things and am thankful for the blessings He has given to me.

If any of you are going through life's storms and you think you can't go on, the truth is you CAN.  Just open your heart to God and call on Him: He hears your cries and He knows what you are facing.  You are not alone and He wants to help you, especially when you are at your weakest.  God will display His power if You will learn to trust in him and let Him do His work, as only He can.  He's got me through things; He can do the same for You if you just let Him.