The lion, the pit, and the girl.

Low. Insecurities. In a pit. Everything that describes things you don't want to be. Have you ever tried to fight and fight and fight and still fight some more, only to find that your fighting yourself? Have you ever tried to get out, but all you can do is get more tangled in? I believe that pain is the core of everything. It is everything that drives the world. See, pain is what causes people to react. Pain causes people to strive for more, search for happiness, and to let alone... just believe in something better. If there was no pain, how would we believe in happiness? I look for happiness in other people now, because I found one little part of me that could be happy because of someone else. Until then, I had always found happiness in myself and God. I believe that happiness comes from deep within. That happiness, it comes from inside of you. Don't EVER let someone else make you happy, even if they will be there forever. Don't. Because, happiness is you. It is a moment between yourself and God. I have found that I am strongest, at my weakest. People who really care about you, will sit you down at your weakest and push you to get stronger. God always provides people like that. Just because one thing doesn't turn out the way you want it, doesn't mean you have a reason to throw away everything you've grown in. You don't ever need to throw away your strength, because one little lie in your head tells you you aren't strong enough. Look at me talking, acting like I have this down... because truth is, I don't. I wish I did. I wish I was the master at this, but to become a master, you have to be taught, and to be taught, you have to learn, and to learn - you gotta have a lesson. That's what life is all about -lessons. Lessons come day by day. The key to this whole thing on earth is day by day. Minute by minute. Breath by breath. A family very important to me once said "If you make it through a day, you'll be so proud of yourself. You'll feel accomplished. Don't ever look at the whole picture. Take it day by day, and you'll make it." It doesn't always matter what others think, what you feel, or even what you think others feel... it matters what moment or day you are living. I have found that there is never a lowest point. You can always make things worse. It's your choice to change the way you look at things, or flip the way you feel. I'm in one of the biggest struggles of my life, and I wish I could just walk away. But the thing is, I can. I can't push away the thoughts, the pain, or the wonder. I can walk away from the temptations, make a choice, and stick to it. These three things I have not been able to do this entire time that I've been in my pit. Pits. What are those things? They are a hole in the ground, with only one way out. They keep you locked up, struggling to find a way to get out the opening in the ceiling. But pits, well they are holders. But Daniel survived lions in a pit. Think of your pit like a lion. It has a mouth, a tail, and some fur. It's an animal. It wants to eat you alive. It wants to take you down. But lions are just animals. They can be killed. It's YOUR choice, no one else's, to kill it. I don't have an answer to this life thing. I will never have an answer to it. But the best thing you can do? Play the hand you've been dealt. Take that lion by the mane. Deal with it face first. Even if you never get out of that pit, at least you have killed the most dangerous thing in it. That's the funny thing though.. If you let someone help you out, they will. It's up to you to kill the lion, but when you're at your worst or you can't find some rope to get out of the pit... scream someone's name. There is always a helping hand. Most likely Jesus sent it to you. But whatever you do, please, whatever you do... Find happiness in yourself. Lions may be beautiful, but they are rough. Pits are even worse. Don't lose faith in yourself. At the end of the day, all you have is you and Jesus. Jesus will never fail. If you take things day by day, you won't fail in your situation. Face your fear. Face yourself. Face your strength. Pick yourself up off the floor of the pit, kill the lion, then search for a rope or helping hand. When you are trying to climb out of the pit, you may be blinded by the sun. You may not know where or what you're doing. Where you're going. What you're grasping. But before you know it, you'll get out. You'll see the scenery. You'll realize you're exactly where you're supposed to be, and it's better than the bottom of a pit. Day by day, you'll realize... you can make it through anything. You will soon kill a lion. You can live in pain, or live in joy. It's your choice. But whatever you do, lions and pits may be fun, but at the end of the day - all the lion is, is a scared little cat, in a big pooping hole in the ground. Don't settle for that. Strive for Jesus. Strive for day by day. Strive to survive the lion, the pit, and the girl (or boy) that you were, only to become a hunter, fighter, surviver, and warrior.