Hope In Hopeless Situations

There are so many situations that can leave us feeling as if we are in a hopeless situation, whether struggles with our weight, finances, career, or even for our future. We may find ourselves feeling hopeless after a divorce, loss, miscarriage, medical diagnosis and even feelings of depression or anxiety.

A friend and I had a conversation recently about her challenges with having a parent that dealt with severe mental health issues. She expressed that she has struggled most of her life with desiring to have a more mentally stable parent, and that it has been challenging to accept the circumstances that have resulted from having a parent that struggles with their mental health. She often feels that it is a hopeless situation that may never change, and that she also may never fully heal from the trauma she has experienced because of it. Another friend confided that she is starting to lose hope that her relationship with her Mother will ever be anything less than toxic. One of the most encouraging "hopeless" stories comes from a friend that experienced four miscarriages and one labor loss during her fifth month of pregnancy. She found herself hopeless and doubting that she will ever carry a child full term, but is now the Mother of three healthy boys.

Last year I went through a season of feeling depleted and honestly hopeless that I would ever move out of that space. As down as I was, I was not ready to quickly move out of my emotions because I knew that would only be a temporary fix. I knew feeling better right away would not allow time to get to the root of the hopelessness that I was feeling. We put so much pressure on being "strong" that we do not allow ourselves the chance to remain in a season long enough to discover how we ended up there.

Whether it's allowing us room to cry, hurt, feel angry or to question why us, sometimes we need to not be "strong" in a moment, but honest. Allowing myself the permission to face my emotions gave me the opportunity to understand where my feelings of hopelessness stemmed from. Sometimes the root may not be one that is obvious for us to recognize, such as my friend that knew that the source of their hopelessness came from issues with parents and difficulties in having a child. For some, the root may be a deeper issue, such as hurt from childhood or self-esteem, that may take complete surrendering to spend time to learn why you are hurting. God may lead you through painful yet rewarding journey of acceptance, acknowledgment, forgiveness, therapy or even finding someone that you trust to talk to. He may use your experience to testify and bring hope to others, letting them know while it's okay to not be okay, that will only be temporary as God has the power to heal.

It takes courage to have even a mustard size seed of faith that you will heal from feeling hopeless. Be patient with the process and pray for God to strengthen you through it.

The verses that I stand on when I need faith that to believe in a hopeless situation are:

• Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, (Ephesian 3:20)

• I can do all things through him who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13)

• May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. (Romans 15:13)

• Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. (Romans 12:12)

• Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you. (Deuteronomy 31:6)