by Molly Howell
My name is Molly Howell and I'm a grad student at FSU in the Art Therapy program. Art therapy you ask? Yes, art therapy, a form of psychotherapy that uses art during therapeutic treatment as a form of communication between the patient and therapist. I have been attending The Well for over a year now and I'm so thankful for the amazing blessings and wonderful friends the Lord has provided through this place.
As I am in the middle of my second year, I have started to reflect on what the Lord has been teaching me during my internship experiences- one at a women's prison and one at a psychiatric hospital. During my studies in art therapy, the incredible amount of hurting people in this world has become a strong reality.
I bet almost all of you have felt despair at some point in your life. Feeling as if no one understands or truly cares about you or a difficult situation you are struggling with can be a very lonely place. At times, it may seem like nothing will ever get better, and you cannot even imagine how your circumstances could ever improve. It is out of the question to see through the darkness because it has totally engulfed you.
Take a moment to imagine yourself in a dark room. It is pitch black. But once that door is cracked open the slightest bit, the pitch-black darkness cannot block out the light seeping in through the cracked door.
During the lowest, darkest, and most hopeless moments throughout your life, you are, in fact, not alone at all. Sounds hard to believe when you are in the midst of it all, right?
But if you acknowledge the light that is seeking you, the darkness begins to fade.
One of my favorite songs includes the following lyrics:
"O Love that will not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee...
O Joy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain,
That morn shall tearless be."
God wants us to run into his arms and rest our weary souls in Him. The God we believe in fully relates, completely understands, and wholly knows how you feel because He experienced suffering in the truest sense of the word. He is with you through every bit of pain you have and will ever experience because He has been there--and He wants to comfort you.
We can be so quick to forget that He is a constant in our lives. Actually, He is the ONLY constant in our lives. Even during times of doubt, God is holding us, guiding us, and comforting us. I am thankful for a God that remains steady even when I cannot understand or see the end to difficult times. How can I so easily forget He has a plan for my life and a promise for my future? He always provides an assurance of hope.
The Well Classifieds can help you find a roommate, give a dog away, sell a car, etc. With circulation to over 700 people each week, who knows how you might connect! To submit an ad contact Rebecca Stewart at rebecca@thewelltallahassee.com.
