Are you smack dab in the midst of the unexpected, yearning for more? Although it may feel unlikely at times, finding faith, hope, and love is possible. However, we must make it our mission right from the start.
Perhaps, life feels hopeless and out of your control when in the middle of a mess. Although we are humanly limited, we are not powerless. We have choices on how to persevere through the unthinkable, and we don’t have to do it alone.
Although we are humanly limited, we are not powerless. We have choices on how we will persevere through the unthinkable. #persevere #unexpectedcircumstances Click To TweetWhat Kind of Faith, Hope, and Love
I am not talking about the ordinary dictionary type of faith, hope, and love. I am talking about the kind you find in God, and it is different.
Why Do We Need Faith, Hope, and Love?
Why Faith
Faith fuels us to do the impossible and endure whatever is before us. Especially when unanticipated circumstances occur, we need a robust belief in something more powerful than us. After all, we have limits, and our human efforts won’t be enough. Only God can give us the strength we need.
For nothing will be impossible with God. (Luke 1:37 ESV)
Looking back on what God has done in our lives can remind us of our foundation. However, sometimes our minds spin out of control, and we can’t recall anything. Starting with scripture and reading about the miracles Jesus performed will benefit us in those times. Remember, even when our faith is weak, we can build upon it. But we have to start somewhere.
We Must Choose Faith
Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. (Hebrews 11:1 NIV)We need faith to give us what we need right now in the present moment. It is built on a belief and trust in something more powerful than us. After all, we have limits. Our human efforts won't be enough. Click To Tweet
Why Hope
Our hope always flows out of our faith. Biblical hope will assure us that something good will come out of our unexpected circumstances. This thinking is not merely a wish or desire—we confidently expect God to deliver.
We Must Choose Hope
We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.
(Hebrews 6:19 CSB)
Why Love
When we walk through the unexpected, we will need love, as we have never known before, the kind we find in Jesus. The Lord will comfort us and teach us how to love others unconditionally.
We Must Choose Love
We love because He first loved us. (I John 4:19 NIV)Biblical hope will provide us with the assurance that something good will come. It isn't a wish. It flows out of our faith. We not only desire something good to happen - we are confidently expecting it. Click To Tweet
Where Do We Start Finding Faith, Hope, and Love?
When mental illness first reared its ugly head in our family, I received the best advice. My pastor prompted me to choose whether I would trust the Lord regardless of the outcome. He encouraged me to say aloud,
“I will trust you, God, if healing comes, if illness remains, and even if death occurs.”
It starts with a choice to trust God completely.
To trust God completely, we must let go and allow Him to have our burdens. The Lord will do the heavy lifting, but we must release our grip.
What Outcome Can We Expect?
I wish I could say that finding faith, hope, and love will wipe away the suffering and injustice of our circumstances. But in my experience, it rarely does, and the pain still hurts even when God is working in our situation.
However, what you can gain is unbelievable. Good things can happen out of a struggle when we embrace God. Plus, we are never alone.
When the Unthinkable Happened in My Life
Have you ever encountered circumstances when you knew they were beyond your capabilities or skill set? Maybe it was a time when someone else’s well-being depended on you not giving up. I found myself in that place.
My beautiful children developed a mental illness in their early teens. It was an unfamiliar world. My life was suddenly filled with anger, suffering, and shattered expectations. I found myself unable to wipe away their pain. My efforts to help seemed futile, and I felt like I had failed as a mom.
We found some of the best care for our loved ones, but it was far from home. Weekly I would hop on a plane and travel for hours, where I would spend days alone in a strange city, leaving behind my husband and other children.
Due to our circumstances, I was primarily alone with quite a bit of time on my hands. The problem was I’m a people person – I love being surrounded by others, so this was an adjustment for me. Plus, I had never traveled, rented cars, or stayed alone in a hotel room.
My visits were limited, therapy was excruciating, and my heart seemed as if it had broken into a million pieces.
Although I had tremendous support from the sidelines, I was all alone. A few friends offered to accompany me, but I always declined. At first, it was because I didn’t want them to see my world, and I couldn’t bear looking into their eyes and seeing their pain.
However, looking back, I discovered had I let others into that sacred time, I’m not sure I would have allowed God to reign in my life and heart. I needed Him more than the physical presence of people in the midst of my unexpected.
Never Alone
God was the one who held me in the dark, cold hotel room as I sobbed from a day of watching my child suffer. We saw no improvements day after day, and professionals wanted to give up. God was the one who encouraged me. He was the one who whispered in my ear, “Do not give up. I am with you. Nothing is beyond my power. There is hope, regardless of what anyone says.”
When I felt unwanted, useless, and like a failure, God would instruct me to keep showing up. He taught me to love as He loves me—unconditionally. #perseverance #love #unconditionallove Click To TweetGod and I fellowshipped on the long plane rides; He never left my side. An intimacy developed I never knew possible. We cried together and even found laughter in silly things. ( Praying for laughter is something I often do.) How about you?
Blessings Out of Pain
Of course, I wouldn’t wish mental illness on anyone. It is cruel, and the pain is tremendous. However, there are blessings in my life that never would have come about without enduring the suffering. He indeed became my best friend. God kept His promise and brought something worthy out of unwanted terrible circumstances, and He will do the same for you.
I now understand God loves our children more than we ever could. Relinquishing control to Him daily and listening to His instruction is a person’s best choice.
Finding Faith, Hope, & Love is a Choice
Although, my faith, hope, and love are not perfect. Many times I step out in my strength, not God’s. I’m still a work in progress, but I strive to trust the Lord. And when I waiver, all I have to do is remind myself I already decided long ago to trust my savior.
Don’t be fooled; we are not entirely powerless in our unexpected circumstances. The choice is ours on how we will persevere. We can choose to grasp God’s hand or rely on our strength. Should you decide to trust God, you will be on your way to finding faith, hope, and love in the midst of the unexpected. The kind you never imagined possible.
Do you struggle with finding faith, hope, and love in the midst of the unexpected? What helps?
And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love. (I Corinthians 13:13 NIV)
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A Gift for You
This powerful prayer packet includes worksheets for using the prayer acronym T.R.U.S.T. and more. For more information, visit our “Embracing Prayer” page.
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Embracing the Unexpected | Maree Dee
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Sometimes I am oh so tired, but realize it is because I am taking things all on myself. The Lord is our strength in all. I really do need to go deeper and have Him transform me, and thankful He forever woos us to Him through all our circumstances!
Lynn, We are a lot alike. Exhaustion is usually my first sign of doing things in my strength, not God’s. I love what you said, “He forever woos us to Him through all our circumstances!” Thank goodness we have such a loving, kind God. Maree
Often when we are faced with such devastating events in our lives, we pray, yes. But then we hang on, as if God couldn’t possibly handle things without us. I get it! Especially when it comes to our kids. But choosing faith, hope and love is a choice and letting go, I think, can be the hardest part. But God has got us all in His hands. And when we trust Him, He’ll show us the blessings of faith, hope and love. Thank you for sharing such a difficult time in your life.
Wendy, I love what you added to our discussion. Beautiful words! I agree it is hard to let go, and even when I do, sometimes I snatch it right back. Maree
Those hard times shape us like no other times. Love this, Maree. “Don’t be fooled; we are not entirely powerless in our unexpected circumstances. The choice is ours on how we will persevere. We can choose to grasp God’s hand or rely on our strength.”
Thank you, Theresa; I love hearing what stands out to you. Yes, our suffering sure shapes us. I hope you have a wonderful weekend. Blessings, Maree
Thank you for sharing such a vulnerable and deep place of your heart and your family’s life. I’m thankful for this, “There are blessings in my life that never would have come about without enduring the suffering. He indeed became my best friend. God kept His promise and brought something worthy out of unwanted terrible circumstances, and He will do the same for you.”
Thank you!! It was an unexpected blessing. Maree
A beautiful raw post Maree, thank you for sharing your journey with your child through their mental illness with us. As you know I have traveled alongside many parents with their children through this journey as a mental health professional.
However what I haven’t shared previously is that within our extended family we have also witnessed an adult loved one suffer from mental illness for decades, flatly refusing to seek any professional help, even when that help was at their bedside several times!
Sadly, the whole family has indelibly suffered from this refusal & denial. For here in Australia adult choices are respected unless they pose a physical danger to themselves or others.
So the following statement stood out to me,
“To trust God completely, we have to let go and allow Him to have our burdens. The Lord will do the heavy lifting, but we must release our grip.” Amen!
Bless you,
Jennifer
Jennifer,
Thank you for sharing not only your professional experience but your personal experience. I bet you have been able to help families on this journey in a unique way. A big thank you from me. It is extra painful when our loved ones refuse to get help. Many times I have had to lay down my burden at the feet of Jesus. The truth is sometimes I snatch the burdens back and have to repeat the entire process.
If you aren’t in our online mental health support group. We sure would love to have you join. I bet you have lots you could add to the conversations.
Blessings,
Maree
Thank you for sharing and your encouragement. Maree
Maree, thank you for sharing this touching post. I truly appreciate your insights and encouragement on faith, hope and love. Blessings.
Thank you for your kind words. I am so glad you stopped to read and leave a comment. I hope you have a great end to your week. Blessings, Maree
We have a family member going through something similar with their children. It is devastatingly painful. Thanks for sharing your story in this post.
Ginger –
My prayers are with your family member and their children. It is painful. Please don’t hesitate to give them my email if they have any questions or need some support. I am so grateful for those who went before me and reached out to me. Maree
Thank you for sharing your testimony of God’s.
God bless you.
Thank you for the encouragement. Maree
This is so good–and a valuable reminder that we’re often looking in the wrong places for all these things, so God surprises us!
Yes, Michele God does surprise us. Your comment made me smile. Maree
Thank you for sharing your story! I walked with a friend through mental illness and it is one of the hardest things I have had to do. I can’t even imagine how much harder it must be when it is your children. Trusting in God whatever the outcome definitely requires surrender and it is such a hard place to get to, but I’m glad you’ve been able to find faith, hope and love in the midst of it all.
Lesley – Thank you for walking through mental illness with your friend. There are not too many friends who will do that. You are a special person.
I think watching someone you love suffer is hard no matter what our relationship is to them. Thank you for sharing. Blessings, Maree
Maree, this hit me right where I’m at today. When my life feels out of control, HE is still at the wheel. Thank you for being honest with your beautiful and truthful words! This blessed me!
Stacey,
I am praying for you right now. I am sorry your life is feeling out of control but so relieved to know you have a mighty God in your life. Praying you feel his arms wrapped around you tonight. Blessings, Maree
Maree,
May I ask how your children are doing right now…?
They are continually making progress. Proud of them all. Maree
Maree, your words always touch me. You have sojourned through the dark lonely places clinging to the Lord to see you through. I spent so much of my life terrified of the possibility of those moments. But like you, I learned that it is in those times that the Lord makes Himself known in amazing ways. Thank you for sharing this. Blessings and hugs!
Deb – Thank you for your beautiful words. You touched my heart. I too spent the first 40 years of my life terrified I couldn’t do hard things and the last bit knowing with God I can. You are so right God makes himself known. I have prayed many prayers, “God let me feel you near.” Thankfully he has answered that one but even if he didn’t I know he is near. I loved your post from yesterday. I just read it. Blessings, Maree
Thank you for sharing your heart and your experience in this post! I relate so much to what you spoke of and I really needed it today as I feel like life is spiraling out of MY control…but it is well within HIS.
Diane – I am so glad my post spoke to you. Funny how things work, yours spoke to me and it my featured post for tomorrow. I am so sorry it feels like life is spiraling out of your control. I know that feeling all too well. But glad you know is well within HIS. I am praying for you as I hit the reply button. Maree
What a beautiful post on faith, hope and love. I agree 100% with the verse from Corinthians. The greatest is love!
Laurie – Thank you for your kind words. Yes, love is the greatest. I hope you have a great weekend full of love. Maree
Thank you for sharing your testimony of God’s faithfulness, Maree Dee. He does seem to have a way of using our children and their challenges to draw us closer to Himself, doesn’t He? I’m so glad you found His tender love and reassurance in your dark place.
Jeanne, Yes, he sure does draw us close through our children. Plus, knowing how I love my children brings waves of understanding of how much God loves us. We are all so loved. Thank you for stopping by. Blessings, Maree