Life After StruggleSampel

## There's No Going Back May is when I hit my low point in this pandemic. I'm someone who keeps a fighting spirit until I can't fight any longer. One night, the heaviness of this season hit me, and I couldn't be happy. On that night, my prayers were short-sighted. I asked God for life to go back to what it was before this pandemic. But I was quickly reminded: there is no going back; only forward. This reminded me of how the disciples responded after witnessing the greatest trauma, then subsequent miracle of their lives. They gathered to pray in Acts 1. In Acts 1:15-26 , they take one tangible step forward in choosing Matthias to replace Judas as a disciple. It's clear in this chapter that the disciples are praying asking how they can move forward. And that's when God met them with the blessing and power of the Holy Spirit, which gave them the ability to move forward. So on that night in May, I wanted to be like the disciples after they had been through the hardest season of their life. I wanted to pray something that would help me move forward. Here's what I did: I asked God what I needed. He knows what I needed in that moment. Like He knew the disciples needed the Holy Spirit, He knows what will help us move forward. Turns out, I just needed a safe space to grieve. He was faithful to deliver that. And things have been much better since then. As you get ready to move out of this season (or even if you're in it for the long haul), ask God what you need. That's how we move forward.