Remaining Hopeful in Times of Crisis

“We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28) In the face of political conflict, international turmoil, natural disasters, and animosity between people, it is easy to become pessimistic, depressed, and lose hope. How do we reorient ourselves to God, the One in which whom all of our hope should be placed? How do we give up control of the situations surrounding us and let Him work it out?

John Morales welcomed Father Marcel Taillon onto Morning Air to give us a more insightful perspective on the ways we can shed our fear and place our trust and hope back in Jesus.

John first asked Father Marcel how to avoid getting overwhelmed by the bad news even though it seems like everything is bad news. “I think one of the things is turning off the news, right? So first, I turn on Relevant Radio a little more, use the app, and pray, but be careful not to get sucked into all the bad news. There’s always going to be bad news, more these days than anything.” It sounds so obvious, but it’s a very difficult thing to do, given that the way we live our lives is so predicated on the news these days. But tune out as much as you can. The more you obsess, the more you burden your mind with things that are out of your control. Instead, we should turn to prayer.

Father Marcel continued, saying that when we aren’t working, we should be filling our lives with things that will give us a sense of purpose and hopefulness. One of those things is our prayer life, which is an important buffer between the world and the recesses of our minds. We should also be engaging in hobbies that lift our minds, exercising so that our bodies can stay healthy, and surrounding ourselves with people who are joyful and full of hope. “I know many people that are very joyful and when I just see them or hear from them, it just lifts my spirit…And I think, too, an attitude of gratitude. There’s a lot to be grateful for, as difficult as things are.”

Finding the blessings and positives in our own lives is another tool in our belt that we can use to fight off negativity. The negativity that permeates our lives through the news results from the media’s tendency to focus on the scary parts of life. That habitual nature can sometimes be contagious, and we begin focusing on the inconveniences and obstacles. In actuality, we should be resolving to find the good in our life that God has blessed us with. We can stop placing our hope for salvation and happiness in faulteded people and we can return to placing our hope in Jesus Christ, the one who has redeemed us, blessed us, and will never fail us.

Father Marcel sang the praises of Relevant Radio because we strike that balance of covering the big stories in the news without becoming obsessive. We also base all of our segments and shows in Christ, so that we have a constant and unbroken focus on our goal: To Bring Christ to the world through the media.

In summary, there are six things that you can do to reject negativity and despair in your life and return to hope-filled happiness:

  1. Turn off the news. Stay tuned in occasionally so that you are aware of the world’s issues, but do not become obsessive.
  2. Foster a more robust prayer life. Instead of focusing on the news, start focusing on Christ. He will provide the answers that you seek in the media.
  3. Practice a hobby or habit. Make sure that you engage in leisure activities during your free time so you can elevate your mind.
  4. In addition to elevating your mind and soul, elevate your body with exercise. It’s good for the body, it helps you think more clearly, and it delivers healthy proteins (endorphins, osteocalcin) to your brain.
  5. Surround yourself with joyful people. Negativity may be contagious, but so is joy.
  6. Practice an “attitude of gratitude”. If we can find the blessings in life rather than the obstacles and problems, our outlook can be Christ-based and far more positive.

Listen to the full conversation below:

Tune in to Morning Air weekdays at 5am CT

John Hanretty serves as a Digital Media Producer for Relevant Radio®. He is a graduate of the Gupta College of Business at the University of Dallas. Besides being passionate about writing, his hobbies include drawing and digital design. You can read more of his daily articles at relevantradio.com and on the Relevant Radio® app.