Sometimes we focus so much on a singular way of doing things that we overlook the many other avenues of achieving the same thing!
Persevere.
Do not be a victim of limited thinking.
The plans that God has for us are much greater than those we have or can envision for ourselves. Be open to new ideas and a new way of accomplishing your goals.
Dedicate your desires to God and ask him to use you in this capacity.
When your world seems dark and you feel weary, look for hope in the darkness….be it a small glimmer of light, ignited by the words of others, a bible passage, or the beauty of a sunset. God is in it and He will see you through.
Everything you have been through in your lifetime will finally make sense the moment you realize that you are in the center of God’s will for your life. He has created you for a purpose and allowed circumstances in your life to perfect you for the task—the plans that He has for you. No experience is ever wasted…our experiences shape us.
Discovering Hope During Suffering:
1. Think positive thoughts. This is easier said than done. Try to counter every negative and fear-based thought with something positive. Most of the things we worry about will never happen anyway!
2. Be around positive people. Sometimes this is hard to do when you are down in the dumps and want to wallow in your sorrow, but positive people are positive thinkers. When we are down, we can all use a dose of positive thinking.
3. Write positive affirmations. It helps to write a few positive thoughts (affirmations) and recite them throughout the day. When you begin to fret, read your affirmation card(s) to redirect your thoughts.
4. Think only about today. Stop worrying about tomorrow.
5. Create. Do something that expresses your inner feelings.
6. Be honest with yourself and others.
7. Realize that “this too shall pass”….
8. Acknowledge the blessings in your life—big and small.
9. Focus your energy and thoughts on something other than yourself and/or your difficulties/problems.
10. Believe in a higher power…something greater than yourself—for me, it’s Jesus.
Think of some of the ways by which your suffering has brought you closer to God.
Suffering brings me closer to God in these ways:
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“And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.” 1 Peter 5:10
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” James 1:2-4