“Here’s the latest picture of our newest grandbaby!”

“Please pray for my son. He’s in trouble with the law.”

“Would you text me your current address? I want to send you a ‘save the date’ for my daughter’s wedding.”

“I need your prayers. Things just seem to go from bad to worse, and I think divorce is the only option.”

From mountain highs to valley lows… These were all actual messages I received all while I sat in the waiting room while my husband was undergoing a surgical biopsy to determine if the cancer he had suffered years ago had come calling again.

Hours later, as I sat in the cold, sterile recovery room waiting for the effects of anesthesia to wear off from my husband’s cognition, I reflected on “real life” for us and so many who have shared their story with me.

This was to be the week we would celebrate the release of my new book “Hope Prevails: Insights From a Doctor’s Personal Journey Through Depression.” Yet, our attention was now diverted from the celebratory book release and was instead focused on scheduling procedures and starting treatments.  Over the course of weeks, days, and even moments it seemed we repeatedly bounced from mountain highs to valley lows, whether it was because of our own circumstances or those we loved.

In my quiet time with God, I seem to keep circling back to the familiar story of Peter and his famous water walking escapade in Matthew 14:22-33.  When we read or hear the story of Peter walking toward Jesus, the emphasis is so often placed on his crisis of faith that resulted in him sinking below the water line. Yet, of all the disciples, he was the one to recognize Jesus, get out of the boat, demonstrate his faith, and walk toward Him. All the others waited until Jesus calmed the wind and the seas before declaring that Jesus was the Son of God.

Peter knew who His Savior was and put his faith in motion by getting out of the boat despite the storms surrounding him. His crisis of faith took place only when he took his eyes off Jesus and paid more attention to the stormy winds than to the One who could calm the wind in a single breath.

Oh how I can relate to Peter. Maybe you can too. In one breath, I profess my faith in God and his power to save. But then when the storms of life begin to whip me around, it becomes too easy to focus on the storm and take my eyes off Him.

I must remain resolute with my feet firmly planted on the solid foundation of God’s truth, and keep my eyes on Him rather than on the storms that threaten to pull me under.

“I lift up my eyes to the mountains—

where does my help come from?

My help comes from the Lord,

the Maker of heaven and earth.”

(Psalm 121:1-2)

What I know is this:

• God has always been faithful before, and He will be faithful to the end.
• With God’s help, I have made it through every other difficult circumstance in life.
• God warned us that storms and trials would come, but that HE has overcome them all. That’s where my faith must rest.
• Sometimes God doesn’t calm the storm, but He meets us right there in the middle of the storm and shows us He can be trusted to carry us through them.
• Because of Him, despite the storms, #HopePrevails!

Whether on mountain highs or valley lows, my faith is in the One who stills the storms. Where are you entrusting your faith today?

Hope Prevails Book and Hope Prevails Bible Study {hope for overcoming depression}

Available now through book retailers!

Hope Prevails: Insights From a Doctor’s Personal Journey Through Depression and the new companion Hope Prevails Bible Study help the reader understand: how depression comes to be, recover their joy, reclaim their peace, and re-establish their true identity, while knowing their worth, remembering their secure destiny, and being confident that nothing separates them from God’s love.