Seasons of Despair

Like many of you, I’ve dealt with a lot of disappointment, discouragement, and hurt in my lifetime. It’s left me in seasons of despair.

When I find myself in a season of despair, I remind myself that as a leader, I can’t sink to the bottom of the ocean because I don’t want to take people with me.

So, how do I begin to crawl my way out of seasons of despair?

• I chose hope. While hope is a feeling, it is clearly a choice as well. It’s like love. Love is a feeling and a choice someone gets to make. Why choose hope? Because hope is like a ladder that carries me out of the pit of despair.

• I turn the page by acknowledging the past challenges, talking them out, and praying them out, but I focus my energy on the goals and the people in front of me. A famous philosopher named Jelly Roll once said, “The windshield is bigger than the rearview mirror for a reason.”

• I step back far enough and look at the story arc of my life. I recognize that I’m simply in a spot on that arc. I look back at the other spots that were difficult seasons that I made it through. Now, if you’re a follower of Jesus, then you know that He carried you through that season, and that leads to hope that He will do it again. If you’re not a Jesus follower, then looking back at how you’ve endured those hard seasons gives you confidence that you will do it again.

If you’re in a season of despair, I pray that you will grab that ladder called hope and start climbing out of that pit.

If I can pray for you to have the strength to grab that ladder, shoot me an email. I’d love to lift you up in prayer.