God is always there to help us through our challenges and rough patches. Joshua 1:9 says that we should be strong and courageous. Don’t be afraid because the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Recently, 42-year old actor Chris Pratt received some backlash over a picture he posted on Instagram. Instead of responding to the backlash negatively, Pratt clung to his relationship with God and relied on Him to see him through the storm.  The story starts with Pratt posting a seemingly harmless photo of him and his wife, Kathrine Schwarzenegger, hugging each other. Schwarzenegger was gazing longingly at Pratt.

Pratt praised his wife in the post, saying that she’s given him a wonderful life and a healthy daughter. He joked about how she chews so loudly that he has to wear earbuds, but he loves her anyway. The post was endearing, but some fans took issues with it, saying it was an insult to his ex-wife Anna Faris. Faris and Pratt have a son named Jack together; he was born prematurely and dealt with health issues over the years. Fans began to flood the comments with their opinions; one commenter said that Pratt insinuated that his daughter was better than Jack because she was healthy. The commenter also noted that Pratt should apologize to Jack because his wording was cruel. Another commenter took a jab at Pratt, saying that he left Faris for Schwarzenegger.

Instead of immediately responding to the negative comments, Pratt ignored them. He chose to make a series of Instagram Stories, talking about running and praising God. Pratt went to bed feeling depressed and upset. When he woke up, he still felt crappy, so he decided to go for a run and listen to Christian music. Pratt didn’t want to go for the run but said he knew he would feel better afterward. According to Pratt, the music got his blood pumping, and he felt terrific, like God was sitting right next to him. Pratt says the experience made him emotional and gave God all the glory. He then recommended that his 33.5 million Instagram followers get some excellent exercise, listen to Christian music, or read the Bible if they want to feel better.

Amid all the backlash, some people were coming to Pratt’s defense. One of his defenders was his mother-in-law, Maria Shriver. Shriver reminded Pratt that he was a loving husband, a good father to both of his children, and an outstanding son-in-law. Shriver insisted that Pratt rise above the noise and remember that his family loved him. Chris Pratt could’ve handled this situation in a completely different way. He could’ve lashed out against the haters and spewed nasty, hateful comments. Instead, Pratt chose to ignore the negativity and turn to God. Pratt allowed his faith to come in, and he let God remove his negative emotions. Pratt knew that his post meant no harm, so he went into nature and listened to Christian music.

In our times of trouble or challenges, we should all respond the way Chris Pratt did. We shouldn’t let negativity cloud our minds. Instead, we should remember that all of our help comes from God. God is always there to help us through whatever we’re going through. All we have to do is tune out the naysayers and listen to Him.