When we’re standing in the middle of a crisis, desperately searching for a way to make it end, it’s sometimes going to be impossible to stop what is happening. That’s when we inundate ourselves with the question “Why” and then quickly begin to spiral downward. So, what can we do differently that will help us not just survive the crisis but thrive after it has passed?

What if there weren’t any accidents? What if you weren’t alone? How would this relate to everything that has happened in your life? You are not Chicken Little, and the sky is not going to fall. It never does. Maybe every morning doesn’t have to be a continuation of a waking nightmare. Maybe it could be another day of you taking a step toward your future and away from your pain. What if there's something or someone out there that could help?

“Why me?” “Why is this happening?” “What did I do to deserve this?” When we are in the depths of despair and see the world crumbling around us. When we’re sure we’re about to lose everything that means anything to us, questions like these fill our minds and we ask God why we are being punished. What if I told you we weren’t and, instead, we were being pruned?

When in the depths of depression and anxiety, we don’t realize that these are the very moments that will make a fulfilling life possible. Three threads (Hope, Knowledge, and Joy) form the foundation for happiness and contentment and are made possible by the times in our lives when we are at our lowest.