Finding Peace When Life Hurts
JOURNAL ENTRY #28
SATURDAY, JULY 11, 2026
Some days aren’t filled with rainbows.
I don’t ever want to paint the picture that life is perfect because it isn’t. We all experience days that challenge us emotionally, spiritually, and sometimes physically. My hope has never been to present a perfect life, but rather to live one that points toward hope through both the joyful days and the difficult ones.
Today was one of those difficult days.
It brought a mixture of emotions that left me feeling almost numb. Those moments happen in this present age, and no one is immune to them.
Many of you may not know that I recently learned my heart has an area with insufficient blood flow that cannot safely be corrected. Because of that, even significant emotional stress can affect my heart rhythm and become medically serious. Over the past several months, I’ve had to learn something that many of us struggle with — when my body tells me to slow down, I must listen.
Today, it did.
As emotions began to rise, I felt the warning signs. Instead of pushing through them, I stepped away, slowed down, and entrusted the situation to God. Some circumstances simply fall outside of our control, and today reminded me that not every battle is ours to carry.
While we cannot always choose what happens to us, we CAN choose how we respond.
That doesn’t mean sadness, disappointment, fear, or even anger won’t appear. They often arrive without invitation. But we CAN choose not to let those emotions become our master. We can pause. We can breathe. We can seek peace BEFORE reacting.
I’m deeply thankful for my husband, who quietly stood beside me today with love, patience, and understanding. We’ve both grown through life’s hardships, and that growth has taught us the value of responding with gentleness instead of anger. It is a blessing I never take for granted.
As the Sabbath came to a close this evening, I found myself reflecting on the day. I could have allowed the circumstances to consume me. Instead, I chose to honor my Father’s Sabbath anyway. I chose peace over panic, faith over fear, and trust over control.
The difficult moments were real.
But so was God’s faithfulness.
And because of that, I can still say…
It was a good day.
Finding Beauty in the Everyday.
— LHogarth
