Hope

In everything, regardless of your situation, there is always hope.  I had to learn this because at several times in my life, I felt hopeless or faithless.  I felt beaten down and pushed against the wall.  After I stopped teaching full time a couple of years ago, my finances changed drastically.  I went from almost making $70,000 a year plus benefits to making about $15,000 a year (if that).  I felt defeated, like I had no identity or no confidence at all.  All of my worth was coming from my job security, my status in peoples eyes.  At one time I could say "I'm a math teacher at Frederick Douglass Academy 2 school"  and receive respect or acknowledgement, but now I was a struggling artist that had to go back to teaching as a substitute in order to make income.  I had no insurance and no retirement plan.  NOTHING.  I felt ashamed, like God had given up on me by allowing me to make the decision to quit teaching and giving me a dream that He was not answering at the time.  I was angry, to say the least, but I had to fight back and understand that even when a situation looks hopeless there is always still hope.  I remember one time listening to the Spirit and He was teaching me to look past the problems and see the promises.  Stop focusing on the problems because what you put your mind on the most becomes your truth and see the promises.  So, I started fixing my eyes more on God's promises and believing them for myself.  Jeremiah 29:11 says "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
It hit me that He was saying this to the Israelites when they were in exile and enslaved.  This was their most humble point in their lives and I was at my most humbled point in my life and God was telling me that in the midst of my financial drama and my inward depression that He still had plans for me, plans to prosper my life and not harm me and plans to give me a hope and a future.  I had to believe that for myself and see this as my truth.  Then, He showed me that He is always detailed.  So, every part of my life is detailed or laid out to the smallest portion.  He thinks about me. He thinks about you.  He ponders ways that He can meet our needs.  He helped me to understand that, in Him, there is always hope.  Hope is truly understanding that God is working for my behalf and having the faith that backs that up.  It's not a faithless hope like "I hope this will happen one day"  or "I hope my life will change."  No, it's truly believing what God says for your life and truly having faith (true hope) in what He says is true.  This helped me through one of the  most darkest periods in my life.  I felt God's presence with me, helping me grow deeper in understanding in Him and comforting me.  I would not change the things I've gone through because they have helped me develop a faith, a hope that I can use as I go through many other things in this life, on this journey.