First, he said God is trying to get to me in a way that he never has before and that what happens on the other side of this could be a stronger and better faith. I can’t say that I completely believe that, but it does give me an intellectualized scintilla of hope that I didn’t have before.

He then told me to keep praying but to stop expecting things, which is what I have been doing this summer. I would pray, then essentially take my “faith pulse” to see if anything was there.

What he did not do, thankfully, was say that this would all be better soon or assure me that everyone has these crises of faith. When someone is struggling with something, assuring them that it happens to a lot of people provides zero comfort whatsoever. That was a lesson I learned when I got divorced. Pain is personal, not a community thing.