Strength comes in that moment when you think you can’t go on

Tina Y. Gerber – McCurley

As my husband and I faced health issues, leading into January 2026, I found myself prayerfully asking the Lord to fix me when I am the problem, and to protect me when I am not. The challenges brought anxiety, upset, and conflict with loved ones. However, I’ve learned, listening is one of the quietest and most powerful ways to show love.

I know God is near, listening with love, every time we turn our hearts toward Him. My life is far from perfect, but I strive to reflect what it means to be carried by a gracious and loving God. It’s a simple journey, hand in hand, step by step, walking together in love. Even on the days when you need to scream, you can still pause to notice the beauty around you. In those moments, I remind myself to let His presence be my peace and I find His beauty within me.

We all need to spend time together, communicating, listening, and truly connecting. Life is too short to waste in constant battles when we could be building bridges instead.

Even so, now, as I write this, my hearing hasn’t returned and I feel like I’m suffocating, like I'm cut off. Previously, I was crying constantly because I couldn’t hear, yet through it all, I managed to mumble prayers for God’s grace and mercy. One night, my husband kept asking what was wrong. When I told him, “I can’t hear,” he replied, “You’ve told me that a hundred times already!” His words devastated me. I ran to my bedroom, sobbing uncontrollably.

What I truly needed in that moment was validation. I was scared and felt completely alone. My husband followed me, apologized, and asked for forgiveness for being insensitive. I forgave him, but I still hadn’t clearly explained what I needed: a reassuring voice, telling me he understood how afraid I was, that things would be okay, not a reminder I had told him so many times before.

A few days later, my husband and I talked again, and I asked him to forgive me, as I was wrong, too. You can trust God’s plan and still feel the weight of pain. True love doesn’t always come in the way we expect, but it arrives in the way we need.

We grow closer to God in much the same way. If we earnestly desire to know Him, we must dedicate time to reading, studying, and meditating on His Word, so He can share with us.