Shortly after the diagnosis of my son with Spinal Muscular Atrophy, I feel into a deep depression and state of spiritual despair. I was angry with God and unable to pray most days, and while I thought I should consider professional counseling, I couldn’t imagine fitting one more appointment into days already packed with homeschooling, therapy visits, specialist appointments, and more. I needed something to help me make sense of the hopelessness I was feeling, and amazingly enough, I found it on a random visit to our local library.
As I wandered the shelves, looking for some form of distraction, a title jumped out at me; Arise From Darkness. I pulled the book from the shelf and read the subtitle and author’s name on the cover; “What to do when life doesn’t make sense, ” Benedict J. Groeschel, CFR. I was amazed at how I seemed to stumble upon a book that so accurately described my current state, and was written by a well-known Catholic. I took it home and finished it within a couple days. It marked a turning point in my life, and from the moment I set the finished book down I knew I would be okay and that I was taking my first step out of the sadness and darkness that had consumed me.
Read more at Accepting the Gift.