Hardships are part of the human experience. No one goes through life without facing some difficulties.\u00a0 For instance, we all at one time or another will be lonely.\u00a0 Sometimes loneliness comes from not having enough social connections.\u00a0 At other times loneliness may come from having to face a tough problem on our own.\u00a0 We also will all experience loss.\u00a0 It may be the loss of a loved one.\u00a0 Or it may be a job or financial loss.\u00a0 And we all will experience hurt.\u00a0 We may get hurt because people are careless with our feelings.\u00a0 Or we might feel hurt due to a disappointment.\u00a0 The bottom line is that if you are a human being, hardships are inevitable.<\/p>\n
Recently, I\u2019ve given some thought as to how I\u2019ve gotten through the hardships in my own life. Whether I\u2019ve done it consciously or unconsciously, in times of difficulty, I\u2019ve always used the following formula: Hope \u2192 Faith \u2192 Action.\u00a0 I\u2019ve been using this approach since I was a teenager.\u00a0 And it works.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s start with hope. The solution to every problem begins with hope.\u00a0 Hope isn\u2019t just a noun; it\u2019s a verb.\u00a0 To hope is to envision a good outcome.\u00a0 It is looking 5 years down the road and having a clear idea of where you want to be.\u00a0 It is to dream, but in a very concrete way.\u00a0 The point isn\u2019t to be generally hopeful.\u00a0 That is lovely, but actively hoping means to hope for something specific.<\/p>\n
For example, when I was seventeen, I wanted to go to college when I graduated from high school. I had good grades, lots of extra-curricular activities, and a part-time job.\u00a0 However, I didn\u2019t have enough money to go to an expensive U.S. school.\u00a0 Yet I was hopeful.\u00a0 Then through a series of very fortunate circumstances, I was able to go to college in Canada.\u00a0 It was one of the best things that ever happened to me.\u00a0 I had amazing professors, and I made kindhearted friends.\u00a0 My path to getting a college degree started with hope.\u00a0 Even when my circumstances said, \u201cCollege isn\u2019t in the cards for you,\u201d I had a hope that a college education was in my future.<\/p>\n
Once hope gives you a vision for your future, faith is your next step. Faith is the belief that what you hope for will come to pass, even when all evidence points to the contrary.\u00a0 Faith isn\u2019t rational.\u00a0 It isn\u2019t logical, and it isn\u2019t scientific.\u00a0 And it isn\u2019t about wishing.\u00a0 It is knowing<\/em> that God will direct our steps and help us move toward a good outcome, if only we seek His guidance.<\/p>\n Having faith isn\u2019t easy when what you hope for seems impossible. However, when we have faith, we can say with confidence, \u201cI know that by my own efforts I can\u2019t achieve my goal.\u00a0 But I also know that with God, all things<\/em> are possible.\u201d\u00a0 When we are faithful, we can tell the world, \u201cKeep your cynicism, naysaying and negativity.\u00a0 I know that God has a purpose for my life, and with His help, I will fulfill that purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n Hope and faith are our springboard to action. Action is the final step in successfully overcoming our challenges.\u00a0 We can\u2019t simply sit in misery or fear, and wish that things would get better.\u00a0 In times of hardship, we have to take meaningful steps to change our lives.\u00a0 Faith and hope allow us to take those steps, even when logic says that what we want to accomplish is too hard.<\/p>\n Action allows us to get unstuck from our bad situation. I hate to think of those people who are in tough situations and don\u2019t see any way out.\u00a0 I promise you, there is always a way out.\u00a0 But if you don\u2019t act, you will get mired in your troubles.\u00a0 Positive actions propel us toward a good outcome.<\/p>\n Your first positive action simply can be a prayer to God for help. From there, keep moving.\u00a0 If you need help staying inspired, read books or articles every day that have a positive message.\u00a0 Listen to uplifting music.\u00a0 Memorize a quote that exemplifies what you are trying to accomplish, and recite it whenever you feel like giving up.\u00a0 Then keep pressing forward by working hard and doing what is right.\u00a0 If you stay with it, the momentum of your actions will snowball into positive results.\u00a0 And you likely will get some wonderful surprises that you didn\u2019t even anticipate.<\/p>\n Hardships are a natural part of life. Learning how to face hardships head-on and successfully overcoming them is one of the most important skills that we can develop.\u00a0 If you have challenges in your life, consider approaching them with the \u201chope \u2192 faith \u2192 action\u201d formula.\u00a0 It is a wonderful way to work with God when your challenges are too hard to face alone.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Hardships are part of the human experience. No one goes through life without facing some difficulties.\u00a0 For instance, we all at one time or another will be lonely.\u00a0 Sometimes loneliness comes from not having enough social connections.\u00a0 At other times loneliness may come from having to face a tough problem on our own.\u00a0 We also…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":593,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-109","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n