It has been nothing short of a very rough week.

We all know how hard it can be to get through a bad week.

How do you wake up and get out of bed knowing that it is going to be another long day at work or school? How do you wake up just to find out that this day is just as screwed up as yesterday?

Life really does throw some curve balls at you. Sometimes you can dodge them, but other times, they smack you right between the eyes. Then, you can either look at those rough times in your life and count them all as negatives, or you can use these things as stepping stones to a positive frame of mind.

I have decided to use everything in these past few weeks as a step to something greater.

Trials that I have experienced in these past few weeks has caused me to question the mercy of God. How can He do this? How can He make me question whether I want to even be alive anymore? How is this possible? Does He even really love me?

Then one morning, I woke up and I realized that all of these trials, tests, and tribulations I experience are supposed to make me grow closer to Him, not question His love. So I decided to take a second look at all the struggles these weeks have thrown at me and just change my perspective. I want to find my silver lining.

My silver lining is that I need to grow closer with God. I need to take a closer look at His mercy and grace and love and how all of it applies to my life.

I may have doubted God's plan for my life but He knows exactly what He is doing. It just takes the hard times to be thankful for all of the good.

I have doubts more than I should, but that does not make Him love me any less. It doesn't matter how much I doubt God, He still cherishes me as His child. I will forever hold that near to my heart. My life could not complete without God.

Hard weeks does not mean life is over. It means that maybe He is trying to draw you closer to Him.

Doubt is a ploy the devil uses to make you question, "How much does God really love me?" You should never question that. God loves you so much that He died for you. That's remarkable. How many people do we encounter in our lives that would die for us? The answer is zero. No person would die for us just because they loved us.

Wake up every day with optimism. You could think, "I am going to make today a good day" or, "I am not going to let this bump in the road get me down." I hope that we all can get out of bed looking for the best in our days to come.

God loves you. I love you. And I a praying for you and your trials, whatever they may be.

God bless.

"And we know that in all things, God works fr the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to his purpose." - Romans 8:28 (NIV)