Don't Give Up on Hope!

As we try to progress in our lives, we go through experiences (including making choices) that feel positive and rewarding. Other experiences can make us feel defeated or place us in a ring of fire. How you handle these situations, both internally and externally, will make or break you. Seriously. It can either build you up or break you down. Including your heart, your spirit, your opportunities, your relationships, and more.

I might not be the first one telling you this, but sometimes the bad happens to the good. Sometimes it is a good thing.

That probably sounds odd. How can bad things be good? Well, when you are going through these moments, the tricky part is not giving up, and maintaining hope: the kind of hope that you truly believe. The kind of hope that brings a vision of beauty, peace, love, healing, success, relief, joy, you name it. It's the hope that shows you a vision of something better. It's the hope that feels like it can be real (because it can).

I'll tell you two stories about my hope. When I was seven years old, I was taken from my parents and placed in Foster care. I was terrified, and genuinely had no understanding why. My father had left years prior, and my mother did a pretty good job shielding us from her addiction and criminal behaviors. I was young, fragile, and knew absolutely nothing about the world or the situation I was in. One day my life seemed normal, and the very next day my mom was in jail and I was taken away from everything I knew. Even in the midst of this nightmare, I knew it was not the life I wanted, and that there was something better. I knew that I would see my parents again. It was so real, I could taste it. I could imagine all of the ways my life would change when I left the foster homes.

Did it happen immediately? No. Were there days that my hope was running thin? Of course. But I did not let go. There was nothing more in life that I wanted more than to leave that situation. I could not give up on my hope. Hope was literally all I had. It was the fuel that kept me moving forward, that made life bearable. Eventually positive things began to happen and I became reunited with our father.

Hope saved my life as a child. Hope is continually there to pick me up when I fall. I can guarantee that it's there for you too.

As I grew older, my life continued to be full of challenges I did not know how to overcome.

As an adult I wanted nothing more than to be successful and to break the chains and patterns of addiction for my children. To never expose them to the chaos I felt as a child. I didn't have the upbringing of what I considered a "successful" person would have had. And I felt like life was an uphill battle to get there. That hill turned into a mountain as I entered adulthood, when I became a single parent in my early 20’s. With the chaos of my childhood nipping at my heels, and a baby to raise on my own, I was overwhelmed.

How in the world was I supposed to:

1. Get a Proper Education

2. Build a Successful Career

3. Be an Engaged and Fully Present Parent

Without the support of my family and feeling like the whole world was against me.

HOPE was and is the answer. I had so much hope, there were tears streaming down my face (most nights). I even had words of hope written on my walls to remind me that life was going to be hard and I had to stand strong.

I had hope that I could break the cycles I was brought up in. That I could deliver a better life for my daughter.

Hope helps me each and every day. My faith has grown beyond anything I would have imagined, and I know that my kids are light years ahead of where I was when I was their age. That is a major win!

Why did this happen? I refused to give up. Even when I was sitting in that ring of fire. Through the smiles, tears, and fear, I kept walking forward.

It is "normal" to be scared, overwhelmed, feel unworthy, or be upset about where you are. Allow yourself to feel that feel the fear and pain, and overcome it by continuing to take steps forward in hope. Whatever you are going through, it will get better, I promise.

In Jeremiah 29:11 it states, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”.

If you feel like you’re in the middle of a fire, hope will carry you through. Hang in there.