Hope in hardship is one of the themes of my story. Hope means holding onto courage when you feel like giving up. Courage keeps us moving towards hope. How does someone keep hope during hardship?
Give yourself grace.
Grace is an undeserved gift. Sometimes the gift is recognizing you’re exactly where you need to be in your story. You don’t have to be as far along as someone else. Whether you’re just leaving your perpetrator or have been out of the relationship for 15 years, giving yourself grace will allow you to enjoy life. Finding and holding onto grace can empower you to be hopeful each day.
God can turn a no into a yes.
I told God multiple times I was never moving back to Denver. Ever. Denver represented the severe adversity I had been through and it was something I associated with the city. God must have chuckled when I told him I would never move back to Denver. He knew coming back would be a healing experience. Denver has been where I’ve had my babies, walked through cancer, and had multiple other surgeries, all while experiencing God’s goodness.
He’s grown me in ways that have allowed me to trust Him even when I can’t see the ending. Ultimately, God brings redemption out of those broken places even when they literally exist. Redemption of these places (figuratively and literally) means we let go of the past hurts, and have the courage to go from trial to trial without losing hope. It’s amazing to sit in the mountains at a coffee shop and realize how far He has brought me. I can honestly say I like Colorado now.
Hold onto hope.
Hope helps us to be expectant no matter what’s happening at the moment. These series of moments called life can be filled with amazing experiences. Our creator gives us this beautiful tapestry of creation, relationships, and love, to point us back to God. All of these things create the hope you cling to during hardship. Through all our choices and hardships, hope exists and will be there at the end of the journey. God wants to redeem every bad choice and decision with the hope of our future. Our future is always bright when we hold onto hope.
Do you walk through your daily life hopeful? Hope, grace, and answered prayers will give you hope in hardship. It will turn your life around.
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Heather Shore
Featured Image by Nikos Apelaths from Pixabay
