There Is Light

by Elizabeth Lopez

I believe that at the end of the tunnel, there is light. Everyone goes through challenges in life, but everybody’s life story is lightened up with the love of God. My life has been anything but easy. Since I was three years old, obstacles and more challenges came into my life. I had my father and mother’s love, until one day my father abandoned us. A few months later, my mother had to leave me as well, with the exception that she did it to provide a better life for me. My mother had to travel to the United States to provide a substantial living for me because we barely had money to survive in my country. I grew up with my grandmother in a small town, living with my grandmother was nice, but I always missed the effect of my mother, but ultimately that made me stronger. I believe that the Lord allows difficulties to arrive with a purpose; if I hadn’t been through everything I’ve been through, I wouldn’t be where I am now.

When struggling is important to believe that there is going to be a sunny day when you see a cloudy sky is heartbreaking, but those who believe until the end get to see the light. When you have watery eyes, you cannot see clearly. Only God’s light can brighten your path and make shadows disappear because God’s grace is not the light a the end of the tunnel it’s the light that guides us throughout it. I felt almost of my life with my broken heart for not having my parents. I grew up hearing my classmates and friends talking about their parents, but I did not have mine. I have no complaints about my mother for leaving me when I was little because even though she was not physically with me, she was constantly calling me and providing for me, but growing up with her far from me was very hard for me. To compound everything in the town I lived in, they did not offer schooling beyond sixth grade. This situation put my studies on pause, and it was devastating for me.

I am grateful to God and my mom that I reunited with my mother after many years in the United States. That encounter was, for me, like the end of a tunnel where I could see a shining light. Seeing my mom again was like healing my heart and soul. However, it was not until I came to the United States that I resumed my studies. As soon as I came to the U.S. my mother helped me to attend high school. Learning the English language was tough for me because I didn’t even know how to pronounce minor phrases such as thank you or please. In other words, I started to learn English from scratch, but once again, God’s light showed up in my life because, after years of dedication and hard work, I am a high school graduate and a college student. I have passed through many challenges in my life; I mentioned a few of them in this story, but I am grateful that I successfully overcame these obstacles with God’s light and mercy in my life. Therefore, I always believe there is hope even though there seem to be no solutions. I believe that there is light in the middle of storms when you leave everything in the hands of the lord. This, I believe.

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(Read all the pieces in This I Believe)