Overcoming the Despair

What is the world without hope?

What is a season without hope?

What is a day without hope and full of despair?

Have you ever felt so lost that you thought you would never find your way?

Have you ever felt pain so deep that you thought you would suffocate?

Has a situation overwhelmed you to the extreme point that you felt there was no hope to pull you through?

My lowest point of despair

One of the most poignant moments when I was going through my separation and divorce happened when I was at that point- so lost in hopelessness that my world felt so dark.  I sat alone in the middle of my living room floor and cried in deep agony. I sobbed from every part of my being. To this day, the hurt is still so vivid. Every inch of my body ached. I felt so alone as if no life was left in me. The hurt was so deep.  I had never experienced such a feeling in my whole life. My whole body shook as the cries of despair came from the depths of my soul.  Those were cries that I never want to feel again. The cries that shake every core in your body. 

 I was lost in a world where there was no hope. The light had turned off in my life. I sat in darkness and struggled to find my way out. 

The light that brought me out of the darkness

One evening when my kids were with their dad and I was sitting alone in my state of hopelessness. I decided to go out and grab a bite to eat. 

As I sat in the drive thru lane waiting to order, I could hear a conversation going on at the tables outside the restaurant, A man who sounded like I felt- lost and hopeless- was sharing his story with a woman, He was describing how drugs had taken over his life and he saw no way out, The woman whom he was talking to began to share how God was with him and God loved him. That in his brokenness there is hope in God. He has a friend in God and God cares about him and wants to save him. If he puts his faith and trust in Him then he will never be alone. 

As I continued to listen intently, there was a pause in the conversation. All of the sudden, the woman stood up and looked right at me over the drive thru menu sign that was blocking our view from each other. When she caught my eye, she just nodded as if to reassure me that God is here for me also. 

This was the most powerful moment for me. I feel that it was an answer to my prayers. God was using this young woman to share His faithfulness and His greatness. 

That was the moment when I felt there was still hope. I felt that I still was loved, valued and important. 

I truly believe that I was meant to be in that drive thru line at that exact moment to hear that message. My cries out to Jesus in my struggle on the floor of the living room led to this moment.

Reassurance in Hope

So, my friend, let me reassure you that whatever you may be going through, there is hope. There is hope in a God who will be there to guide you through your pain and darkness. There is hope in a God who will always be there for you as long as you allow Him to be. 

In our moments of despair there is hope. Hope that picks us up and carries us when our life is so overwhelming that we can’t seem to go on. Hope is the light that brings us out of the darkness. 

“But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint. “ ( Isaiah 40:31)

The hope that is provided by having faith in God will help to strengthen us and lift us up in our weariness. 

In that moment in the drive thru lane, it restored my hope. I had grown weary and thought that I would not be able to go on. But, God, in my despair brought that moment to me; to remind me that He was there. To remind me not to fall into hopelessness.

In your moments of despair, remember that He is there. Hope is there. I understand that sometimes that hope is hard to see and feel. But it is there when we lean on Him and trust His plan for our lives.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

I was so weary and tired. The hurt I felt was physically taking away my strength. My strength to move. My strength to speak. My strength to eat. I was broken and completely hopeless.

When I realized that God was my hope and He would be there for me, to comfort me, I began to gain some of that strength back.  Giving all my burdens to Him, so I could rest, was a turning point for me.

Whatever, you may be going through in life, if you give it to Him and allow Him to lift your burdens, then this allows for the sincere feeling of comfort and rest. You know that you can release all the stress that your body and mind has succumbed to and just take time to relax. It is the warm embrace of your Father’s arms that you can fall into knowing that He will take care of you. There is so much beauty in that. So much comfort and relief in knowing that you do not have to do it alone.

“And not only that, to but we also glory in tribulations,knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. “ (Romans 5:3-4)

In the end, all this suffering, all this despair, allows us to persevere and keep moving forward. Our experiences in life can either break us or grow us. They can either make us resentful and hostile or provide us with new perspectives and strengthen our character.

Every experience we go through allows us to grow. Every experience provides us with hope for a better future. We can choose the direction that we want to go. We can choose the path we want to take.

A path of growth will prepare us for our next hurdles in life. As we know, life is not an easy road, no matter what way we choose. But through out trials, we can discover a person whom we never knew before. One who despite all the challenges came out stronger in the end.