Overcoming Despair. How Gratitude Can Lift You Out
One of the most difficult emotions to overcome is despair. The Cambridge Dictionary defines despair as: “the feeling that there is no hope and that you can do nothing to improve a difficult or worrying situation.”
Despair is one step away from giving up. And it is usually what causes people to commit suicide. They feel there is no way out. My friends, there is ALWAYS a way out. ALWAYS. Yet when someone gets to this point, they feel like they are stuck in quicksand. When they try to pull themselves out, their struggles just get them deeper and deeper sunk into the quicksand.
Overcoming Despair is Something I’ve Struggled With
I’ve been at that point in my life. I admit it. Yet, I’ve also believed in God all of my life. And despite my overwhelming problems, I always believed that God would help me. Yet, so many people are afraid to ask God for help. Why is this?
This Message From the Angels Gives the Best Explanation
The best explanation I have heard came from a message received by Ann Albers, who communicates with Angels. I love going to her website and reading her messages. A recent message shed some light on why some people are hesitant to ask God for help:
Overcoming Despair Means We Need to Get Quiet and Wait for Guidance
So, in order to “be accessible, vibrationally speaking,” we need to get quiet and wait for Guidance. Getting quiet and waiting for a message has always been difficult for me. My mind is constantly racing a hundred miles an hour, so meditation has always been a tough one to master. Thankfully, I learned about the remarkable gift of Gratitude, and how thinking grateful thoughts was the key to making that connection to Guidance that helped in overcoming my feelings of despair.
I closed my eyes and visualized Gratitude as a rope, a lifeline. While I was mired in the quicksand of despair, I visualized grabbing this rope and thinking of something to be grateful for, even if it was the fact that I was breathing, I could walk, talk, hear, see…and with each grateful thought, I was able to pull myself up, hand over hand, climbing the Gratitude Rope, as I called it.
Eventually, when I thought of enough things to be grateful for, I realized I had completely pulled myself out of the quicksand of despair. Once I realized how truly blessed I was, those positive thoughts created a shift in my energy.
I immediately followed them with thoughts of what I WANTED to happen, thanking God that He would guide me to a solution to my problems. And then I let it go, releasing all worries and doubts. And sure enough, I received wonderful Guidance, and I was able to resolve my problems.
This Young Teen was Filled With Despair and Needed Guidance
Years ago I worked with teens at a local high school as a volunteer. I noticed that one of the teens appeared to be down and depressed. When I asked him what was bothering him, he said, “I applied to join the Marines after I graduate this year, but they turned me down. I’m ADD and take some medication. They said I couldn’t be accepted because of the medication I’m taking. Now I don’t know what I’m going to do. I can’t afford to go to college.”
I asked him, “What if I could give you a way to get off that medication? Did you know that if you spend 10 MINUTES A DAY – just 5 MINUTES in the morning when you wake up, and 5 MINUTES at night before going to bed, thinking of everything you have to be grateful for, you could get off that medication.”
He asked, “How would that help me?” I responded, “When your mind is focused on things you are grateful for, it calms you down and helps you focus, which I know is difficult for you. I had the same problem, and this really worked for me. And, you will see in a very short time that you don’t need that medication anymore! But you have to do it every day!”
He responded, “Gee, I don’t think I can do that. And I don’t really have anything to be grateful for.”
“What do you mean you have nothing to be grateful for? You can talk to me, you can hear me, you have a roof over your head and food on the table every day. You have a good mind, I’ve seen what you are capable of. If you are serious about joining the military, then this is your ticket. What do you have to lose? Ten minutes a day to achieve your dream?”
He responded, “Well, I’ll think about it.” Oh well…I only hoped that he would give it a try.
My Teen Had Some Wonderful News!
A few months later, I attended the graduation of the teens I had been working with. As I was leaving the building when the ceremony ended, I heard a voice yelling, “Ms. Lewis! Ms. Lewis!” I looked around and saw this young man I mentioned earlier running towards me.
“Ms. Lewis, guess what! I told my mom about the 10 minutes a day of being grateful for stuff, and she said we would do it together! So every day we did it, and guess what! I got off the medication, and the Marines have accepted me! Thank you so much!”
To Overcome Despair, Try to Visualize the Gratitude Rope
Your thoughts create your reality, my friends. If you find yourself at this point in your life, mired in despair, feeling there is no way out, try to visualize the Gratitude Rope. Think of everything you have to be grateful for and watch as you easily pull yourself up and out. You can do this! You are so much more powerful than you know! And you are so loved! As the Angels added in their message:
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