If you ever feel so emotionally drained that you just want to escape your life, remember that the prophet Elijah at one point felt the same way. After the most spectacular victory of his ministry, he found himself running for his life, collapsing under a tree, and praying, "I have had enough, Lord. Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died" (1 Kings 19:4).

Why is it that certain painful memories just won't fade away? Trauma stays with us. And in this broken world, filled with broken people, we all carry wounds that don't easily heal. So what do you do when the past still hurts?

Have you ever been angry that someone who hurt you received mercy instead of punishment? Or felt resentful when someone who "didn't deserve it" got a second chance? If so, you're in good company; the biblical prophet Jonah struggled with the same feelings.

Sometimes we find ourselves in a mess of our own making. Perhaps you've sat in darkness, wondering how you ended up there and unable to see a way out. While none of us have likely been swallowed by a whale, at one point or another, we've all been where Jonah was, at rock bottom, facing the consequences of our choices.