It is no secret. We are facing turbulent times. We are burdened by many things, globally and personally. Many of us are fearful. We are not quite sure which way to turn or what to do to help our challenging situation. We may feel as if we have reached a roadblock. We experience the pangs of hopelessness.   

     Some of us are feeling the squeeze financially with the highly volatile (even chaotic) economic situation. Many have lost their retirement savings, funds for the education of their children, even homes and jobs. It doesn’t seem fair. We do not understand. 

     Worse off are those who have suffered the devastation of natural disasters, such as the brave people in Texas and Louisiana, just to name a couple of areas that have been destroyed. They have lost everything. Help is there and more is on the way, but will it come soon enough? For that matter, will it be enough? After all, these folks have lost everything.They are hanging on by a thread.

     But probably the least fortunate are those who suffer personal devastation, perhaps a family tragedy or loss. Many have lost loved ones or have seen them hurt or torn. Some of us have been hurt ourselves, either by someone we love or someone we trusted.

      It is truly heartbreaking to consider all of the individual tragedies many of our families face these days.  From loss to addiction, abuse to suicide, too many of us are in the throws of life shattering circumstances. It is truly a shame.

     If we all have something in common these days, it is fear. Many of us have been hurt and some of us cannot see beyond our misfortune. We do not always see the solution, which is faith. “Everything happens for a reason” is a scripture saying that definitely applies today. We do not see the big picture. We cannot see the miracle that lies at the end of each dark tunnel.

     A River of Hope offers some encouragement in its passage for August 9:

                                          Fear/Trust

     Fear is miserable. It holds us in a dungeon where we lose faith and hope. If we remain in these chains, we slowly die. Fear poisons the soul. How do we escape fear? How do we break free from darkness when there is not enough light to see our way out?

     Trust is our light when we cannot see. It guides us to freedom. It brings us closer to God. God is love, and there can be no fear where perfect love exists.

     Some of us refuse to trust. It is not easy to rely on something we cannot see. It is even harder to have faith in something we do not understand. And yet if we can learn to trust, fear disappears and so does confusion. Our vision clears, and we see the way out.

     Trust is developed over time with practice and patience. Each time we feel overwhelmed, or we are frightened by life’s tragedies, we can trust God to see us through. He takes care of each and every detail. His love is strong enough to turn the worst situations around for the better.

     Placing our lives in God’s flawless care frees us from the painful grip of fear. Focusing our thoughts on love brings us comfort and peace. We do not have to remain in the dungeon unless we want to. We hold the key. We can let trust lead us to the light.

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        Trust and faith walk hand in hand. We are empowered to overcome life’s burdens and challenges when we strengthen in faith! In fact, faith is the antidote of fear. They cannot coexist. Faith lifts us above our problems.

     In every circumstance, we can come to know that a loving God is in charge of the universe. Our higher power will indeed work everything out for good. He is with us even in the darkest circumstances. When all seems lost, we are on the verge of gaining something much more valuable, something we did not have before. We may not understand, but we do not have to. God’s miracles work far above our limited perspective.

     I absolutely love to present my workshop on overcoming burden and building faith. I have seen thousands of people turn their situations around simply by turning their thoughts around. We can take our focus away from our fears, away from our burdens and problems, and strengthen in faith. This is the key to a happy life. It is the answer to all our problems.

     So, whether you are struggling right now or know of someone who is, let’s make a decision to overcome our obstacles in faith! The miracle is happening, even if we do not see it yet. The light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter and we can believe in the journey. It will be rewarding. Some day, we will understand.

We all have hopes and dreams. Perhaps we do not acknowledge their presence, but they exist. They are somewhere in the back of our minds, in our hearts, and in our souls. They are part of us. It is time to give them voice. We can believe and they will come true.

Some of us (many of us) have been conditioned to ignore our inner nudges. We start at an early age, and we just keep going and going. We were told what we should be, who we could be, and all of the benefits of fulfilling superimposed roles. We have suffocated within these thick walls. It is time to breath. We can believe in ourselves and honor our deepest desires in life. Our inner nudges are divine.

Looking at an excerpt from A River of Hope:

                                    Belief/ Inspiration

When we belive, we are inspired. When we really believe, great things happen in our lives. When we know in our hearts there is good in the universe and that we are an intricate part of unveiling this good, we embark on the beginning of the spiritual journey. When we decide to embrace destiny, we move even further along the path. We are created to contribute to the good in this world. It all begins with belief. We are created to believe.

When we fully believe in the power of God in the universe and open our hearts to feel this power at work in our own lives, we can be inspired to great levels. We become conduits through which amazing miracles flow. There is no limit to what God can do through us. It all begins with belief in God’s goodness and love, belief in the potential of others, and belief in our own strengths. 

Inspiration is God’s magic. He graces us with thoughts and ideas at unexpected times, and yet his timing is perfect. His love and providence are incredible. When we believe in this, our future is boundless. We can do anything with God’s help. His guidance is unfailing and wonderful. He designed a unique journey for us long ago, before the stars, before there was light. He loved us even then. How much stronger is his love for us when we choose to walk within this design! He will never let us down. When we follow Him, we cannot fail. We can simply believe!  

Believe and it will happen! The sky is not the limit. Our hopes and dreams become reality as we learn to embrace them. But how?

First, we begin by soul searching to discover who we really are. Some of us have been held captive to “existing on the outside”. We have spent a good amount of years squelching our inner desires. We learned at an early age how to act and what to do to achieve love and acceptance. This has carried through to our adult lives.

We rediscover our dreams and desires by pausing to quiet our spirits and open our hearts. This can be done through meditation or even simple time spent relaxing in silence. God speaks through the humble and quiet soul. We connect to the universe in this way. Our destiny is unfolded. Our journeys begin to flow.

Last but not least, we need courage. We can dare to believe in our new discoveries. They may not happen overnight, but it is guaranteed we will gain more faith in our journey if we  learn to trust in God and the universe. We are held. We are loved. We are cherished. It will be alright.

Believe and it will happen!