“I feel crushed. Gary told me he doesn’t want to marry me after all.” Michelle cried and twisted tissue on her lap. “It’s three weeks before the wedding. What am I going to do?”

I listened and empathized with her as she sobbed.

Michelle looked up at me and said, “I’m really crushed. I felt certain he was the one.” She sighed and brushed tears from her face. “Have you ever felt crushed?”

Those Circumstances That Crushed Me

With a nod I said, “I felt crushed after the divorce. My dreams were shattered.” After a pause, I said, “Fifteen years ago, I felt crushed after a diagnosis of cancer. The loss of my mother and my only child crushed me more than I ever thought possible.”

“But you’re still here, smiling, and happy.” She stared at me and asked, “How did you do it or do you pretend to be happy?”

Those Who Helped Me 

I couldn’t help but laugh. “I don’t pretend, and I didn’t do it on my own. My family, my prayer warrior friends, and the Lord helped me.”

Psalm 142:3 came to mind. “Listen to this, ‘The enemy pursues me, he crushes me to the ground; he makes me dwell in darkness like those long dead.’”

“At that Michelle said, “I feel dead right now. I wish I were dead.”

Words of the Psalmist That Helped Me

I told her the psalmist’s solution in Psalm 143:5, “I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done.”

She raised a brow, as I continued, “By remembering all the times God helped me in the past, I grew in faith that he would help me again.”

“It can’t be that easy,” she screamed? “What else did you do?”

I laughed and assured her it took time. “After each challenge, it was a process that didn’t happen overnight. However, in Psalm 143:8c says, ‘Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.’”

Her eyes widened, and she asked, “Will God show me the way I should go?”

I suggested she ask him and find out for herself. Then she could tell me what happened. She agreed to try it.

Next Step

What will you do when you feel crushed? Consider the psalmist’s solution in Psalm 143:8c.

Copyright © by Yvonne Ortega May 23, 2016