Even though May is almost at an end, making way for June, our monthly character trait—optimistic—continues to be relevant. 

If the Christian faith tells us anything, it’s that even when times are tough, God will make a way. We see this represented in the coming of the Messiah and reflected in other events recorded in the Bible. 

Let’s just take a second and think about all the times in the Bible that God took miserable situations and turned them around. Daniel trapped in the lion’s den. Joseph imprisoned in Egypt. David entrenched in his own sin. In all these situations, God made a way through. 

These are just 3 examples, and this doesn’t even scratch the surface—there are so many more. 

The Bible is a reference for times such as these. If you are feeling hopeless, you aren’t alone. So many Biblical figures also lost hope for a time—look at Elijah, curled up in his cave. 

But how did things turn around for those people? And how can it turn around for us now?

Well, the first step is humility.

One of the main reasons we feel helpless and hopeless is because we rely on our own strength. And you know what, some of us are pretty strong. We can go for weeks motoring through, filling our time with goals, strategies, and educated guesses. However, sooner or later, we run out of steam.

God, on the other hand, never runs out of steam. He is the creator of the world, and creator of endless possibilities. He is all-encompassing, all-knowing, all-powerful, the source of life, Lord of the past and future, as well as the here and now.  

So when our circuits are fried, and our monthly plan is looking like a monthly fail, we need to take the hint, let go of the thread we are hanging by, and trust in the One who can see the whole picture—God. 

When things were unpleasant for people in the Bible, we always see a turn around when they humbled themselves before God. Some of them, not mentioning names *cough*David*cough*, took a bit longer than others, but they got there eventually.

The great thing about true humility is that peace often comes with it. Setting aside our frantic need to control, letting go, trusting the Father—all these things quiet the mind; then, in that place of peace, we can stop and listen for His voice. 

And when we hear His voice, we must be obedient.

When someone tells you the truth, it is wise to listen and then act accordingly.

So many of us live under lies that undermine us—we are not skilled, we are not interesting, or we are not educated enough to make a difference.

God does not lie to us, and He never will. His truth lifts us up to places we wouldn’t think we could ever reach. It tells us how precious we are when we feel devalued, it corrects us when we are wrong, it helps us to be optimistic when times are hard. 

Do you see a pattern?

Relying on our own limited strength, causes us to believe that we are limited in what we can achieve.

However, humbling ourselves before God gives us access to options we didn’t even know we had, through His truth and unfailing wisdom.

Stepping down from our high horse and asking God to lead us, and ACTUALLY listening to His instruction, allows us access to a bigger and better version of ourselves, and the world we live in. HE becomes our source of strength and hope. Like being plugged in, rather than running on batteries.

Just like those figures in the Bible, we can make a positive difference in our various spheres, by being humble, finding peace, hearing God, and obeying His perfect instruction.