In times of trial, you may ask yourself, "Why me?" You may wonder how you're going to get through. In my own life, I have had many challenges that had me wondering the same thing. The only things that kept me from giving up were support from my family and my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He can walk on water. He can help you make it through.

When times are tough, here are a few things to help pull you through.

Prayer

This is the time to really communicate your feelings, fears, and desires of your heart. When life throws you a curve ball, prayer can help bring peace of mind when seemingly nothing else will. It doesn't matter if it's a formal prayer that takes 15 minutes, or a quick one minute prayer on your way to work. He is there and will listen. All you have to do is ask and then open the door to him.

Faith

After your prayer, comes your faith. After you've poured your heart out to your Lord, have faith he will answer you. It may not be what, when or how you expect him to answer, but he will never lead you astray. The question to ask yourself is why does he want me to do this? What lessons does he want me to learn? After being diagnosed with chronic pain syndrome and a balance disorder years later, I struggled to find the meaning behind my challenges. Why did he want me to suffer? Was I meant to have pain all the time? Would it ever go away? For a long time, I couldn't understand why I had to suffer as I did. Then, an interesting thing happened. I recognized I was in control of my healing. I had to accept that for me, inner tension and stress resulted in pain. I had to take a leap of faith and educate myself, knowing that I could overcome this trial and be happy.

Meditation

When days are full of stress and you feel like you're drowning, get away from it all. Even if you only five free minutes, close your eyes and take your mind to a place you love, that makes you feel complete joy. Feel the air, smell the aromas, taste the sweetness, see the beauty, and hear the peaceful sounds. While you do this, take deep breaths in through your nose, while sucking in your stomach, then exhale, through your nose, while drawing out your stomach like a balloon being blown up. Doing this for just five minutes a day can help bring back inner peace and help you feel more calm and relaxed.

Friends

Sometimes, a shoulder to cry on or just a friendly voice may be all that it takes to help you. Friends are wonderful. They never judge you and will always be there when it's needed. If the week has been crappy, call up a friend and go dancing - a wonderful way to relieve stress - or just meet at a diner and have pie and ice cream. You can pay it forward when your friend is struggling.

Music

Listening to a favorite song or group can do wonders for your soul. Music can inspire, uplift, and transform our lives. It tells its own story - one we can relate to that can take us far back in the past or right here, right now. Close your eyes and listen to not only the lyrics, but the instruments, the beat and the beauty. Music truly can be a healing tool.

Pain and suffering is inevitable, but it doesn't have to drown us. Tomorrow is another day, a new beginning, a new fresh start to live, laugh and love.