Sustaining Hope and Getting Feelings Out
In my last post (Be Proud), I discussed the agony of repressed feelings, the lostness found in being alone, the lack of confidence felt as a youth, and the hopelessness faced through invalidation. Hope is something that we all need in our lives. Without it, we lack purpose and the drive to keep going. A life that ceases to have hope likewise ceases to have joy, pleasure, and peace. It lacks the ability to comprehend that life can or ever will get better. Without hope, we in turn lack the faith needed to push through hard times, get through the struggles, and believe that there is something greater on the other side.
When I felt hopeless against the people (adults and peers) in my life, I wasn't absolutely positive that things would get better, I only knew that I had to maintain faith that it would improve. Yet, you see, faith and hope are not mutually exclusive. Many people have hope without a faith and plenty of people maintain faith, while doubting or lacking hope. While it seems odd to say that these two do not have to go together, I don't believe that they necessarily always come as a package. It is definitely helpful to maintain both a hope and a faith that things will work out. Often times, we find that our attitude will determine whether things in our lives work the way that we want or against our wishes. Holding onto hope by having faith that things will improve was instrumental in my life. Even when lacking hope, I could still believe and trust in my faith that things would turn around.
The Bible says that faith is the assurance, or confidence, in what we hope for (Hebrews 11:1). Faith is what tells us that yes, it can happen. Hope is almost an action, or wishing; the fingers crossed, look up, say a pray, while faith is the belief in that action. Through the doubts and seas of trouble, I was able to hold onto hope because Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, is faithful and worthy to be trusted. Jesus promises a way out from underneath temptations (1 Corinthians 10:13) and is a good God.
Since Jesus is trustworthy, true, honest, and pure, and because of His great sacrifice made on my behalf to God the Father, I am now right with God. God doesn't see my lack of hope, my doubts, or shortcomings, thankfully, God sees Jesus in me, a reflection of His perfection, bundled up in grace and mercy. His forgiveness and love are proof to me that there is hope and that I can have the strength to keep going, to keep moving forward, to keep fighting, and to keep making progress by realizing past hurts, moving through them, speaking out, helping others work through their struggles, and knowing that Jesus CAN and does save me.
Without my God, there would never be any hope. I couldn't believe and trust that I would recover from my eating disorder, that I would heal from past wounds, or that things would ever get better. I wouldn't have a reason to keep on living, but His perfect love makes all of my trials worth it, and in fact, I can be grateful in knowing that He is good, He loves me, and He has given me new life. He wants me to live in His abundant goodness and grace. Literally, the Bible says that He lives to intercede for me, and if that isn't a reason for hope, I don't know what is.
I started this blog as a memoir to share some of my life stories with you. My goal is that these encourage and educate you on how to live a more joyful, healthier, full life; one of hope.
When I felt hopeless against the people (adults and peers) in my life, I wasn't absolutely positive that things would get better, I only knew that I had to maintain faith that it would improve. Yet, you see, faith and hope are not mutually exclusive. Many people have hope without a faith and plenty of people maintain faith, while doubting or lacking hope. While it seems odd to say that these two do not have to go together, I don't believe that they necessarily always come as a package. It is definitely helpful to maintain both a hope and a faith that things will work out. Often times, we find that our attitude will determine whether things in our lives work the way that we want or against our wishes. Holding onto hope by having faith that things will improve was instrumental in my life. Even when lacking hope, I could still believe and trust in my faith that things would turn around.
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Since Jesus is trustworthy, true, honest, and pure, and because of His great sacrifice made on my behalf to God the Father, I am now right with God. God doesn't see my lack of hope, my doubts, or shortcomings, thankfully, God sees Jesus in me, a reflection of His perfection, bundled up in grace and mercy. His forgiveness and love are proof to me that there is hope and that I can have the strength to keep going, to keep moving forward, to keep fighting, and to keep making progress by realizing past hurts, moving through them, speaking out, helping others work through their struggles, and knowing that Jesus CAN and does save me.
Without my God, there would never be any hope. I couldn't believe and trust that I would recover from my eating disorder, that I would heal from past wounds, or that things would ever get better. I wouldn't have a reason to keep on living, but His perfect love makes all of my trials worth it, and in fact, I can be grateful in knowing that He is good, He loves me, and He has given me new life. He wants me to live in His abundant goodness and grace. Literally, the Bible says that He lives to intercede for me, and if that isn't a reason for hope, I don't know what is.
I started this blog as a memoir to share some of my life stories with you. My goal is that these encourage and educate you on how to live a more joyful, healthier, full life; one of hope.
I write about my fascination with whole foods, my love of Jesus, my struggles, my childhood stories, my passion for education, and my devotion to creating a healthy life (body, mind, and spirit) for every person in the world.
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