There is nothing in this world you can turn to that will "strengthen" you if it turns you away from God — not your husband, not a better life, not more money or resources, not more mature children, not anything. Only God can strengthen you to do all things that he has asked you to do.

Every woman goes through emotional seasons in her life. I myself have had many times of great joy and peace and many days of darkness too. But the more I learn to faithfully depend upon God, obey him, and wait on him, the more light there is when the dark feelings come.

As long as I can see his light in the darkness, I know I'll be able to follow as he leads me through it one day at a time. He may not change the circumstances that I believe are causing my feelings of darkness, but he will strengthen me to live by faith in the midst of those inevitable challenging circumstances and difficult times. And he will also strengthen me to live by faith in the midst of the mundane tasks that loom large before me every day as a woman, wife, mother, and grandmother.

Read more about this in Seasons Of A Mother’s Heart.