 | ||
 | ||
| Tips to Keep the Faith During Hard Times By Tri Robinson When we fall on hard times in our lives, oftentimes our instinct for survival overrides everything. Our relationships, our jobs, our faith—no area of our lives is spared from the panic we feel when life begins going south. But is that the right approach to take when crisis hits our lives? Is abandoning ship and flailing toward shore the right way to navigate through stormy seas? And what about our faith? Is God still God in the bad times just like He is in the good times? The truth of the matter is hard times are exactly that—hard. But how we approach those periods in our lives determines whether we'll just survive, thrive or sink altogether. It's easy to get swept away in the negative emotions of the day. Whenever we turn on the television to watch the news, it's a screen full of dour faces delivering more grim reports. Though we can't ignore reality, as people of faith we can't allow it to make us hopeless. We get the right attitude when we allow God to renew not just our minds, but the attitude of our minds. (see Ephesians 4:22-24) If we approach difficulties with an attitude that says, "I will get through this with God's help," it's much easier to face each day. Otherwise, we're trying to swim against the current on our own, and it's only a matter of time before we're carried downstream. Even if you're in a place of extreme difficulty and your problems consume your thoughts, we must remember not to live out of a place of fear and defeat. It is during these times that we need to respond with faith and generosity. The Apostle Paul exhorted the church in Macedonia for the way they were responding to the difficulties of their day: And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. ( 2 Corinthians 8:1-3) Endeavor to do the same in your life, no matter how difficult times may be, and watch God lift you out of despair with His everlasting hope. When life gets tough, it's natural to take an inventory of our lives. We take a hard look at our budgets to determine what excess spending can we cut out and return to the "essentials" column. We ask, "Do we really need this?" And we make decisions that are oftentimes painful to us. We should also do this with our energy and time. Evaluate where you are spending your time and energy as well and make reductions accordingly. Creating more time and space for things that matter in life will give you the freedom and courage to do things you may have previously thought of a mere dream. We need to make a smaller footprint with our lives. | ||
BeliefNet.com | Privacy Statement | Change Your Email Address | Unsubscribe Online | ||
| ||
Unsubscribe by Mail: Beliefnet, P.O. Box 3882, Norfolk, VA 23514-3882. Copyright © 2010 Beliefnet, Inc. All rights reserved. |
