Michelle’s intro: I had the awesome pleasure of getting to know a really unique soul! After the initial excitement I experienced from meeting someone who also loved a good chai latte and loved journaling as much as I did, I discovered how sweet Hannah really was! And her story, is one that I think that so many girls can relate to! So read on to find out more about Hannah’s story!

P.S. Do you have a testimony you would like to share? Click the link here and submit your story!

Hannah’s Story

Finding God in the Midst of Anxiety & Fallen Dreams

I’ve always been a big dreamer and spent so much time dreaming of all the different ways my life might look like in the future. I spent so much time dreaming of the places I want to travel to, jobs I wanted to pursue, and like all other girls, the man I was going to marry. I often created my picture-perfect reality in my mind – only when it is in your mind, it’s not reality. How about you? Do you live in the past, present, or the future? 

There was one particular season I longed for and that was life after high school. School and I didn’t go so well together, I wasn’t your typical student and struggled a lot in the traditional schooling environment. And even after changing to a school system that worked better for me, I still struggled a lot. As a result, I  went into survival mode and desired for school to be over as soon as possible. My circumstances improved, yet I still longed for more and the future stayed on my mind. But for the months leading up to my final exams, I was a mess and often found myself distancing from reality and living in a dream world to escape.

I’ve always had that tendency to live in my own dream world, but I never realized the harm it was doing until not too long ago. I had this plan to go to the Netherlands for a gap year after high school, which was supposed to be a dream come true for me. I mean, working and traveling around Europe! Imagine that! But my first year out of high school turned out to be far different from what I imagined.

Starting with intense homesickness I never thought I’d ever have to live through, mixed with job experiences that were anything but delightful, dealing with some financial struggles to being targeted by anxious thoughts, the daydream I held onto for this perfect life after high school fell apart. 

The Problem?

Having to face the fact that once again my dreams fell apart was hard, to say the least. I wanted the Pinterest perfect life other people seemed to have. I just couldn’t wrap my head around why the season I so desperately wanted spiraled so far downhill? Questions swirled in my mind and I was forced to face the truth. God, in the midst of my anxiety and hurt, was revealing Himself to me.

What God Revealed to Me in the Midst of My Anxiety & Fallen Dreams

I am not in control and never have been despite my constant need and desire to be in control. God was in control. When I took a moment and paused to reflect on how God has brought me this far already, I realized this simple truth that He is in control.

No matter how hard I tried to create my dream life, it was not in His plans for me. Not because He didn’t love me, but because I was so blinded by my desires for the future that I had lost sight of what was important. And what is important is that He is a God that sees all things and knows all things and He only ever works for what is good for those who love Him (Romans 8:28). Once I realized that I understood that surrendering these burdens and disappointments onto Him was needed. And in all honesty, this is the part I’m still working on.

Living in the future makes you miss on the important moments right now. No matter how hard life is in the moment, there are still things to be grateful for. The only reason why I say all this is because it was the hard truth I needed to be reminded of. I got so caught up in my own pity party that I missed all those beautiful moments in life God had in store for me. I know from first-hand experience how hard it is to dig deep and look for the good in the pain, but give yourself the space to feel the emotions and know that God is always listening.

The Truths About God During Anxiety

Creating plans and dreaming big dreams aren’t bad things in themselves, but too many times people let these things consume them and become obsessed with holding onto an ideal. But dreams and ideas weren’t meant to be what your hope rests upon! The things from this world don’t last forever, so they have no true value.

#1 He is the Firmest Anchor

God gives us a firm foundation in who He is and a promise of eternal life through His son. He gives us all we need and he sees your heart. He wants your hopes to be given to Him. And He wants you to let Him lead you rather than trying to get everything in your own hands. But the beautiful thing is that God remains the same each day. He is right there in your brokenness. Only God is perfect and we cannot expect perfection from anyone or anything in this world. It’s a broken place with broken people who need the hope of Jesus. So experiencing difficult seasons can be really intense, but He doesn’t leave you alone even if He feels distant to you. 

#2 He is Constant Even if Your Feelings Lie

Don’t ever let your feelings lie to you. Even for myself, I have to remind myself during these difficult seasons that He is good despite my feelings. But even in those moments when your feelings try to deceive you, one of the best ways that you can remind yourself of the truth is to hold onto verses that remind you of the unwavering character of who our Father is. Let those truths anchor your soul! You have to hold onto His truth to win the battle in your mind. It’s so much easier in the moment to give in to those feelings but God’s promises and characters are everlasting. 

#3 His Way is Always Greater

For He said that our thoughts are not His thoughts and His ways are not our ways. His thoughts and His ways are higher, just like the heavens are higher than the earth (Isaiah 55:8-9). So even when things do not work out the way we want it to, if we just hold onto the truth that His ways are greater than ours, we can rest knowing that even while life may look a lot different than you dreamed or hoped, there are unshakeable promises from God that we can hold onto because He is the perfect author of our lives.

#4 He is the Strongest Pillar

Finally, one Bible verse that I love holding onto is Psalm 46:1. It says that God is our refuge and strength and ever-present help in trouble. So regardless of how our life takes dips and turns that aren’t always what we want, we have the strongest pillar to rest upon!

My Favourite Faith-Filled Resources for Finding God in the Midst of Anxiety

But before I go, I wanted to leave with you some of my favorite resources to encourage anyone else who is facing this struggle…

Bible References: Psalm 46 and Ecclesiastes 3

—> P.S. You might like this blog post: Finding God in a Difficult Season of Life (+ FREE downloadable devotional!)

—> P.S.S. You might like this blog post: Why You Can Trust God to Write Your Story (+ FREE downloadable devotional!)

—> P.S.S.S You might like this blog post: How to Find Your Identity in Christ (+ FREE downloadable devotional!)

Let Me Know…

Drop a comment below and let me know if you have ever struggled with putting your dreams on a pedestal and how that has impacted your life? Finding God in the midst of anxiety is never easy. It’s an ongoing journey to learn to depend on our Father in all things. But it is not a journey you have to go on alone! 

Written by Hannah Reynders from The Different Girl

——— Hey! I’m Hannah, a Jesus loving girl. I am always looking forward to the next good book and am up for a chai latte anytime. You know that girl with all the journals and all the emotions? That’s me! Because I’m an enneagram 4 🙂

Testimonies from Other Girls in the Tribe

—> CLICK THE LINK TO READ … Melissa’s Testimony: Finding Jesus in the Midst of Anxiety, Wordliness and Heartbreak

—> CLICK THE LINK TO READ … Maclean’s Testimony: How God Called Me to Be More than a Lukewarm Christian

—> CLICK THE LINK TO READ … Oyelola’s Testimony: How God Saved Me Through a Medical Miracle

—> CLICK THE LINK TO READ … Kristina’s Testimony: How I Found God as a Former Perfectionist and People-Pleaser

or browse the blog HERE!

…

Follow the Girls After Truth Instagram

Don’t forget to follow the Girls After Truth Instagram account for faith-filled hand-lettering + art, daily devotionals and a sneak peek behind-the-scenes look into the ministry life <3 And use the hashtag #girlsaftertruth to get connected!

—> CLICK HERE to Follow the Girl After Truth Instagram!

• 

• 

• 

Hope to see ya there!