God, grant me the serenity...

"God, grant me the serenity... to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can
and the wisdom to know the difference."
-Reinhold Niebuhr

A human being untouched by love knows nothing, but a feeling of loneliness. Gabriella* knew this feeling once. The embrace of her father and mother were all she needed in the world of a 10 year old. But breaking down a family sometimes leaves a child in a state of denial.

No one cared. These voices repeated over and over in her head. You see, Gabriella grew up in a culturally different atmosphere were divorce was looked down upon. Because of this societal norm, Gabriella was isolated from her past neighborhood friends. Even the parents of these children looked negatively down upon her.

The years passed by and Gabriella learned to internalize these feelings. To not care about herself, made her forget the past, but she covered this with a pure smile and laughter of what life does offer. She did this for three years, yet these forced smiles and laughs were only reflections of what she wanted in life: happiness. Her past was marked by a lack of self-confidence, which she used to lean on others to build up any strength she had. But life changed. She discovered the Bible. Four months ago, she had no one to turn to, but now God was there to listen to her once drowned spirit. Gabriella learned to not limit herself from what God was capable of doing in her life because now she knew that someone was out there to care for her.

*Real name has been altered.