It’s easy to feel down or frustrated after experiencing a failure or loss or setback of some sort. Our immediate reaction may be fear or despair, while hope and strength feel beyond our reach. Helplessness and hopefulness are at two opposite ends of the emotional spectrum, and yet there are always small steps we can take to climb out of our feelings of failure and move forward in life.

How do you regain your strength in order to keep going? Here are some principles that will help the process:

• Grieve the loss, don’t ignore the pain. Allow yourself to feel sad when disappointment happens.
• Find a healthy way to express your feelings – journaling, walking, talking to a friend, painting, gardening, etc.
• Seek God’s comfort and ask Him for strength to move forward.
• Choose to look for glimmers of hope. Find something for which you can give thanks each day.
• Take a step forward in a positive direction, even if it is simply meeting a colleague or friend.
• Step out and help someone else. Make a plan for how you can use your experience to strengthen another person.

In my own life, when I have faced hurt or disappointment I have found that God gives me an inner strength beyond what I could produce on my own. The Bible reminds us that He is our refuge and strength, a very present help in time of need.  This week focus on the strength He gives. And always remember, where we are weak, He is strong.

Photo by Jimmy Conover on Unsplash