Before that point, I did not regularly handle crossroads or circumstances as Father instructs in his Word, even though at the time I professed to be a Christian. His Word says don't be afraid-I was scared nearly to death and paralyzed with fear. His Word says to trust in him-I doubted him and his word for me. I even doubted that he loved me, although he had done so much for me my entire life and I had countless blessings.

I finally learned to believe in his promises for me after he brought me through that life-threatening illness. That moment of realization literally bought me to my knees. Hidden in my closet, in a fetal position, I howled in distress, crying my heart out to him and he delivered me. It took a while and I had to practice patience, but he came through for me. Hallelujah! Just thinking about it now brings tears to my eyes.

You may be standing at a crossroad in your life too. Someone you love may be seriously ill, you may be confronted with losing your job or being laid off, or you may be tackling a divorce, extreme loneliness, or a financial crisis. Or all of the above. But Father wants you to know that he will gladly see you through if you let him. He wants the best for you and for you to be happy. However, he will not force his ways upon you, because he is love and that is not his nature. He disciplines us as his children, but he does not make us do anything.

So what do you do at the crossroad? How do you know which way to turn? The answer lies in God's Word. When you earnestly pray, study your Bible diligently a minimum of three times a day every day, and carefully obey it, confident that Father loves you and seeks your best, things will turn around for you (Jer. 29:11). Father turned them around for me when I was going through a storm, and he desires to do the same for all his well-meaning children.

There are times when our circumstances do not change. The world and its leader, Satan, lie to us and say we can have it all. We may be blessed to have more than we need, but no one has everything they want. Some people look at me and think I have it all. But to the point of tears, I deeply desired another baby, and now I'm pretty sure that it is never going to happen. That doesn't mean I've lost hope. It means I focus on the bigger picture and I've accepted my circumstances and am grateful for the child I do have. Some people have none. So I count my blessings and get busy being a blessing to others, especially those in the church.

We humans reside in an evil world full of disappointments and profound grief. But that doesn't mean Father doesn't love us. In these situations we need to cry our hearts out to Father, asking him to give us the courage, wisdom, desire, and strength to be joyful, hopeful, and content, even during our trying times that may last a lifetime. He may not change the situation, but he can give us new lives and change our hearts and minds to the point that we barely notice our afflictions and burdens.