{"id":1545,"date":"2024-09-05T10:10:13","date_gmt":"2024-09-05T15:10:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/livingyourbestlife60plus.com\/blog\/?p=1545"},"modified":"2024-09-05T10:12:38","modified_gmt":"2024-09-05T15:12:38","slug":"a-positive-perspective-in-hard-life-seasons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/livingyourbestlife60plus.com\/blog\/2024\/09\/05\/a-positive-perspective-in-hard-life-seasons\/","title":{"rendered":"Positive Perspective in Hard Seasons"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maintaining a positive perspective in hard life seasons is challenging. It\u2019s easy to drift into a woe-is-me mindset and forget the way you feel now won\u2019t last forever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of my most difficult challenges in this season of grief is dreaming about Jim and then waking to find him not here. Sometimes, I don\u2019t even realize I\u2019m crying until tears run down my face. I long to go back to sleep and try to recapture the dream, but reality is in front of me and must be dealt with and accepted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following are reflections on gaining a positive perspective when reality is hard:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Life of Ease Isn\u2019t Promised<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes, we forget we aren\u2019t promised a life of ease. Difficulty is a normal part of life, and it is in the hard seasons that we experience the most growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Faith doesn\u2019t exempt us from suffering. However, we can opt for a positive perspective. Will you choose hope and joy or resentment and anger?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most of us resist the struggle of hardship, but when we look for what God is teaching us in those times, we learn and grow. We don\u2019t always learn those lessons while traversing the valley, but later, we realize and see more clearly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Fear Factor<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Fear is the greatest deterrent to a forward-looking perspective. When fear takes over, it clouds your vision and eliminates the chance for a positive perspective. Trust is the antidote to fear. Trust says, \u201cI hope and believe for a positive outcome because God sees, knows, and cares.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Forward-looking Perspective<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The biblical story of Lot\u2019s wife always comes to mind when I am tempted to look back and long for former things. Lot\u2019s wife just couldn\u2019t resist one last look back at her former life. She\u2019d been warned to run and not cast her eyes backwards, but she couldn\u2019t stop herself from one last glance in life\u2019s rearview mirror. The outcome was devastating. She turned into a pillar of salt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The urge to look back, to wish for what you once had, is so tempting. It\u2019s okay to reminisce, but avoid staying in the past too long. God has plans for your future, so don\u2019t miss what lies ahead while looking back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Seasonal Aspect of Life<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I don\u2019t know about you, but I\u2019m ready for fall. I\u2019m thankful I live in an area of the country that experiences all four seasons, usually with moderate climate changes. I love each season, but I\u2019m always ready for the cycle that brings the next one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We have a little saying in my state, \u201cIf you don\u2019t like the weather, wait five minutes.\u201d Although life seasons often take longer to change than the seasons of nature, they eventually do change. Just when you think you can\u2019t stand it anymore, hard life seasons moderate. You see change on the horizon and know you can make it to the next season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

God is Faithful<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

From personal experience, I can testify that God is faithful. Even in the most difficult life seasons, God\u2019s presence provides peace and comfort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although it may take a while for the next season to come, and God\u2019s plan for that season to be revealed, hang on tightly, trusting change is ahead and forward motion is possible. Just as darkness gives way to light, tears dry, and joy rules the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe deepest pains may linger through the night, but joy greets the soul with the smile of<\/em> morning\u201d (Psalm 30:5b VOICE).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\n
\"Candy
Candy Arrington<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Candy Arrington is a writer, blogger, speaker, and freelance editor. She often writes on tough topics with a focus on moving through, and beyond, difficult life circumstances. Candy has written hundreds of articles, stories, and devotionals published by numerous outlets including: Inspiration.org, Arisedaily.com, CBN.com, Healthgrades.com, Care.com, Focus on the Family, NextAvenue.org, CountryLiving.com, <\/em>and Writer\u2019s Digest.<\/em> Candy\u2019s books include Life on Pause: Learning to Wait Well <\/em>(Bold Vision Books), When Your Aging Parent Needs Care <\/em>(Harvest House), and AFTERSHOCK: Help, Hope, and Healing in the Wake of Suicide <\/em>(B&H Publishing Group).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To receive Candy\u2019s blog, Forward Motion, <\/em>via email, go to https:\/\/candyarrington.com\/blog\/<\/a> and scroll to the bottom of the page<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Although it may take a while for the next season to come, and God\u2019s plan for that season to be revealed, hang on tightly, trusting change is ahead and forward motion is possible. Just as darkness gives way to light, tears dry, and joy rules the day.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":1546,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,14],"tags":[61,251],"class_list":["post-1545","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-soul","category-transitions","tag-best-life","tag-hard-season"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/livingyourbestlife60plus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1545","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/livingyourbestlife60plus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/livingyourbestlife60plus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/livingyourbestlife60plus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/livingyourbestlife60plus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1545"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/livingyourbestlife60plus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1545\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1549,"href":"https:\/\/livingyourbestlife60plus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1545\/revisions\/1549"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/livingyourbestlife60plus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1546"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/livingyourbestlife60plus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1545"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/livingyourbestlife60plus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1545"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/livingyourbestlife60plus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1545"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}