Life was painful. Separated from family and living in a foreign country, I was held captive by fear. Learning to speak a language with a lot of rule exceptions led me to believe that actually following the rules was the exception! Growing up in Mexico, I was confident in myself and certain that I could face whatever life threw at me, but when I moved to the United States, I became a ghost of the person I used to be. The only thing that felt familiar was panic attacks. After doing all I could, I lost hope that they would ever go away. 
Who would have thought that I would get a ray of positivity in my world of negativity and fear from a doctor? His initial question was, “Is anything new in your life lately?” I responded with a mix of hysterical laughter and restrained crying. He listened to my long story about marrying the love of my life, which meant leaving Cancun and moving all the way to California. His office turned into a confessionary, and he became more than a regular physician. He was godsent; he listened with a kind of patience I had not experienced from a doctor.

His prescribed medication came with the warning “use it only as needed.” His gentle advice? “Do what calms you.” Among the things he listed, what really caught me by surprise was prayer. My experience with prayer was a mindless repetition of the Lord’s Prayer.

But God didn’t leave me with that; He had other plans. At the time, a neighbor invited me to attend a Bible study. I was skeptical, but went thanks to her insistence. That’s where I learned what prayer meant: a conversation with God.
 
God’s message?

“Simply tell me how you feel, what you are thinking. Then listen to what I have to say, what I am thinking.”  

Telling Him is what I did. I spilled the beans often, whenever fear showed its ugly face. The more I did, the more I had the feeling that life could be what I once dreamed. God became my refuge and the strength I needed to live my life.

Little by little, my darkness and fear evaporated in the presence of God’s light. His truth set me free. The panic attacks stopped. The medication remained inside the medicine cabinet, collecting dust, and I learned that belief in a God who saves and rescues also applies to my daily trials. I learned to put my confidence in Him by doing what He asked me to do. That was the way peace entered my life. That’s how I met the Prince of Peace.