Life for some people seems to be rather easy. Others, however, feel as though life is an existence that is full of bumps and bruises.

How about you? Can you identify with some of these feelings or questions?

• Have you had an encounter with someone who is as mean as a junk yard dog and you’re hoping someone has your back?
• Is fear the dominant emotion in your life and the one that controls you?
• Do you feel like you are in over your head and about to drown?
• Are there some detrimental currents that are overwhelming you and dragging you off course?
• Have the circumstances of your life burnt you one too many times and you want to quit?
• Do you feel unloved, unwanted, and unneeded?

If you can identify with any of the questions above, you might find some comfort in the verses below:

Now, this is what the Lord says, the one who created you . . .“Don’t be afraid, for I will protect you. I call you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I am with you; when you pass through the streams, they will not overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not harm you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your deliverer (Isaiah 43:1-3).

Instead of looking at life through the lens of your bumps and bruises, I encourage you to understand it through the context of the verses above.