It feels like you’re fighting a fight you can’t win… No matter how hard you try…

My recent conversation with a Christian councilor, who found the right word to describe it for me: belonging. The need that everyone has, one more than another, but we all need that feeling. If life, day in day out, does not give you that sense, it’s going downhill pretty fast… You start your days bright and early, with your best foot forward, bringing ideas and opinions to the table. But if those constantly get negative attention, where does that leave your positive, trying to help motives?

I don’t know, every story is different, and always has 2 sides. All I know is this feeling drove me partly to depression before… Though: I definitely do not want to go there again!! But how can you prevent from a surrounding living area, to turn things around positive? The only thing I know and have learned from my previous experience: is God. I had left Him behind, but He never left me… That’s a huge thing, which gives me peace right now.

So how to cope then, with this bucket filling up with negative inputs? These days, I don’t even think half of the people realize what they’re doing to each other. That’s something to consider. But does that mean to sit in a corner or run away from the problem? I mean, how many times do we try, right? Well, God did not give up on me… So why should I give up?! When you’re not able to use your gifts or talents, or if they’re not appreciated or accepted, then why in the first place did God gave me those? I can’t just step out of my normal life and start a whole new one… A big word that’s helping me a lot is: patience. We might often not realize it, but later in life, we see, it turns out for the good. I see patience as hope – somehow connected. The hope we can have in Christ is so worth it! We belong to Him and that in itself is a huge comfort. So when you feel like you’re constantly put in a negative place; think of Jesus; He’s been put there a lot…

And just, let go! Let it go… move on, show your other cheek. Yes, easier said than done. Circumstances may take or leave your talents, but they can’t touch your love for Christ!

‘My brethren, count it all joy when you fall in various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.’ (James 1: 2-4)