How To Find Hope In Tough Times

Walking down the street earlier today, my heart welled up with so much joy as I heard the chirping of the birds, and watched them fly past. “The birds are returning,” I thought to myself, “meaning the weather is changing, and spring will be here soon!” That made me so glad…but it also reminded me of the fact that life has its seasons too.

I recall my first months in Chicago. It was the winter months and having lived in a warm climate all my life before then, it was almost unbearable for me. It was so harsh, that I kept checking with God if it was a good idea to move here (even though I knew it was His plan for me). The trees were all bare; not a single leaf was left on them. The branches looked so fragile in the bitter weather like they would break any minute. There was no visible sign of life in them; in fact, there was more gloominess in them, from my own perspective. I remember being filled with fear and wondering if I would ever survive such weather, especially with having to take public transportation… But even with the harsh weather conditions, one thing was certain, as a friend reassured me, it will pass. Spring will finally come, and so also will summer. Sounds just like life, doesn’t it. “For everything, there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven” -Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NLT)

True enough seasons do change. Winter passed, spring came, and so did the summer, and it was like winter never happened!

So what season of life are you in right now? You may be going through a time in your life that looks totally hopeless; you may see no light at the end of the tunnel. You may feel all hope is lost…just like in the bitter winter days when the trees lose all their leaves, looking so dry and brittle that one wondered if they would ever survive the winter. Grasses turned brown or totally disappeared…However, after a season, and some rain drops, the dry grounds start to be green again, and flowers blossom yet again. Leaves begin to grow on the same tree again, little by little, until it reaches full bloom – vibrant and beautiful, with no sign of ever being in bitterly cold weather; and in no time you forget it just went through the bitter winter.

Sometimes we go through tough seasons in life and we see no end in sight; but we can find hope in tough times knowing that spring will come again, with beauty and fruitfulness. That is how your situation will change for the better. We can believe in the God who makes all things beautiful in its time (Ecclesiastes 3:11) Remember the natural seasons and be encouraged…And you know we can trust God to be like the evergreen tree, that doesn’t lose its leaves but stay green regardless of the weather. There is nothing God cannot do. Only believe, and know that “with God ALL things are possible” (Matthew 19:26)

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. -Jeremiah 29:11

Be expectant of a better tomorrow for what you don’t expect you may never experience. We are people of faith. We must not give up in the days of adversity, or small is our strength (Proverbs 24:10)

“For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease. Though the root thereof wax old in the earth, and the stock thereof die in the ground; Yet through the scent of water it will bud, and bring forth boughs like a plant. –Job 14:7-9

Keep the faith…

Shalom!

Rali

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