Life really hurts sometimes. Few things hurt so much as when your parents get divorced.

The Bible is honest that we live in a pain-soaked world (Genesis 3:6-9; Romans 8:20-23; Job 5:7). It doesn’t record a fairy-tale. Instead, it tells us countless stories of real people sailing life’s stormy seas in this fallen world. If the stories within the Bible could bleed, the pages of the Bible would be soaked in tears.

God Understands How Hard This Is for You

You may feel very far from God right now. Unanswered questions like “why would God let this happen to me and my parents” may make you not want to talk to God. That’s understandable.

The people in your life that have earned and deserved your greatest trust have let you down, and that’s an understatement. Parents, according to God’s design, were intended to help us see a reflection of God in their protection, provision, care, and authority. But not only are the best parents only a dim reflection of God. Because they are imperfect—sinners even—they can also damage the picture we are supposed to see of him.

God Wants You to Trust Him

God hates divorce for many reasons—partially because it hurts your view of him. We read in the Bible, God’s own Word about himself, that “it is impossible for God to lie” (Hebrews 6:18 ESV). This means there is no promise God makes that he will ever break—ever. He doesn’t change his mind—ever. This is what makes him trustworthy. In fact, the Bible describes God’s people as those “who have fled to him for refuge” (Hebrews 6:18).

One of the most awesome truths woven throughout the whole Bible is that God is a safe place for all who put their trust in him—can you believe it?! God, the one who made the roaring sea, and the mountains, and who sets up kings and lives forever—he’s safe, and gentle, and kind! And the reason he’s worthy of your trust is that he never, ever, ever lies. He never breaks his Word.

It might feel like there’s no one to run to, no one worthy of your trust. When trust has been broken, it’s so hard to trust anyone again. We understand that.

Run to God in Your Pain

But we want to challenge you to believe, believe that God is different from your parents. Run in his direction, not away from him. Pain will drive us one of two places—into God’s arms, or far away from him in suspicion. The way to run to God is to open your Bible—open to Psalm 34, or Psalm 23, or read Joseph’s tough story in Genesis 37-50. And talk to him. Tell him everything. Tell him how bad it hurts, ask him your tough questions—he can take it. He welcomes you to “cast your cares on him, for he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7 NIV).

We pray that when the pain makes you want to run, you’d run to him, into his strong and loving arms. His arms are a safe place you can flee to in your pain.