READ: PSALMS 34:4-10; 46:1-3; JEREMIAH 29:13-14; 1 PETER 5:6-7

Since I was eleven, I would write down the exciting points of my life and put them in my journal. It was a way to acknowledge all the hidden thoughts and emotions in my mind.

This journal was also filled with anxious thoughts. These pages would often be left negative and unresolved. And when I reread them, I would get anxious and mad all over again.

It’s been six years since I first started journaling. In that time, I’ve found that writing prayers at the end of my journal entries, whether difficult or happy, gives them a reason for hope and joy. When I pray, I talk to God and often become filled with joy because I know that God always hears me and won’t push me away.

We all express our emotions in different ways. But one thing that is true for all of us is that God wants us to pray and rely on Him by giving Him all of our cares—He invites us to trust Him to take care of us (1 Peter 5:7). When we do this, we acknowledge that He’s in control of everything in our lives and we have no need to worry, because He loves us. We have hope in knowing that God will never leave us. Because of Jesus’s death and resurrection, we can be sure that He is always with us. Through everything we face, God is our hope. He is our reason to rejoice. • Chloe Chambers

• What are some ways you process your feelings? Journaling, talking with a trusted person, going for a walk outside, etc.?

• If you’ve put your trust in Jesus, you can know that He is with you all the time, including when you’re processing your thoughts and feelings. Have you ever tried talking to God as you process? It’s okay to be totally honest with Him—He gets it, and He is eager to listen to us and help us (Hebrews 4:14-16). We can trust Him with all our feelings, even the messy ones. Consider taking some time to process whatever thoughts and emotions you’re experiencing today, maybe through journaling. You can talk to God in prayer as you go, or end your time with a prayer.

God is our refuge and strength, a helper who is always found in times of trouble. Psalm 46:1 (CSB)