When Hope Sits Beside You

1 Thessalonians 5:11 – Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

Rachel hadn’t planned to cry at the splash pad, but there she was—sweaty, hungry, and overstimulated as her toddler lost his mind over a graham cracker.

Her baby was asleep and wrapped against her chest, but everything else was a mess. She sat down on the nearest bench, defeated. Her body ached. Her mind raced. She wanted to feel grateful. Instead, she just felt alone.

She watched other moms—some with iced coffees, some chatting with friends—and wondered if she was the only one barely holding it together.

Then a woman slid onto the bench beside her. She was older, maybe in her 50s.

“It’s so hard when you’re in it,” she said, “but it won’t always be this way. You’re doing good.”

Rachel looked over, surprised. The woman gave her a small smile. “I remember thinking I would never make it through either, but I did. You will too.”

Rachel didn’t answer. She just nodded. Her throat tightened, and her eyes stung.

The woman stayed a minute longer, then got up and walked away. But her words stayed. Rachel looked down at her baby, still sleeping, and up at her toddler, now giggling as he splashed again.

What she said didn’t fix the hard, but it reminded Rachel of something she had not felt in a while: hope.

The exhaustion was temporary, and in the meantime, she could encourage herself and others who were facing their own tough moments.

Maybe that is why we go through hard things. Not just so we will survive, but so we will have something realto offer someone else when it is their turn.

If you’re in it right now, don’t pull away. Lean in. It will not always be this way, and when the time comes, let your story become someone else’s strength.

This is hard. But you are doing better than you think. Keep going.