It used to feel strange to me that feelings of loneliness would creep in every once in a while.

I mean, why and how could I possibly feel lonely at this point of my life? The few years one spends in college are painted to be full of friendship, bliss, happiness, hard work, and pleasant memories of successes and even some failures. Some...very shambly failures.

And they are.

But what no one tells you is that sometimes you feel lonely. But it's not the kind of lonely you feel when your family goes out to dinner and forgets that you'll be home from soccer practice in twenty minutes (which is actually so annoying like are you kidding me I'm hungry too).

It's a kind of lonely when you feel misunderstood. Like you aren't fitting all the puzzle pieces together correctly, or maybe you're missing something that everyone else is getting. It feels like there aren't enough hours in the day to complete all the normal tasks of a college student and still have enough time to do the things that make you happy. Then you realize you aren't even sure what exactly it is that does make you happy.

Why don't I know what makes me happy?

And suddenly out of nowhere you feel like Mulan singing "Reflections" with a white painted face, looking into a puddle of water.

There's definitely a hidden theme in Mulan that I didn't catch or even need to catch while I watched the Disney film over and over again growing up. Of course, she teaches us to be courageous and stand up for what we believe in, but she also teaches us that you don't have to feel 100% confident in doing so. Mulan felt lonely, unsure of who she really was, and unfit for the society she was living in.

So maybe we aren't all Mulan, secretly enlisting ourselves as a male in the army so our old and tired fathers won't have to, but I think we've all felt lonely and a little lost like she did.

It's a feeling of loneliness that a room full of people or a cup of coffee can't fix. It's just there. And it's odd, it really is. Feeling like there's a sense of contentment you haven't quite found is perplexing, and the worst part about it is that you don't know how to relieve the emotion.

But feeling lonely doesn't mean you're alone.

It's a feeling that passes. It's a feeling of stress due to a time period that demands all your attention and emotion. And it's okay that you feel that way. It's okay to not know how to fix something--because sometimes things will fix themselves.

There's a certain peace I've found in giving my worries and feelings of uncertainty to God. It wasn't even peace I realized I needed. I found it after coming across a bible verse by accidental googling.

It says, "Let all that I am wait quietly before God; for my hope is in him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress. I will not be shaken." -Pslam 62:5-6.

After reading this bible verse over a few times, it suddenly struck me that even in the times I feel alone, I'm not. Not only did I recognize that I wasn't alone, but I also restored the peace in my heart while quietly waiting before God.

All that you are is enough--all that you are when you're stressed, tired, sad, overwhelmed, unsure, worried, unhappy, misunderstood, and even lonely. Knowing that you are enough and waiting quietly before God will bring you an unspeakable and unimaginable peace that no amount of money, knowledge, or power could ever provide.

So let yourself feel lonely once in a while.

But above all, know that feelings of loneliness do not make you alone. They make you human. The reflection you see staring back at you from the puddle isn't only you and it isn't only Mulan--it's all of us.