In wake of all the devastating loss of human loss personally and world wide, I decided to write this publication about holding on even when you feel like letting go.

Recall tug of war in middle school. You were divided on teams and staggered along the rope according to your ability to pull, your strength level to stay planted and some of us were just there by default. No matter where you fell in that line, you were committed to defy the line of defeat. That huge rope of what seemed like barbed wire would rip through the skin on your hands leaving them raw for days. This was the art of holding on. Even when it burned and your tripping over the person next to you, you held on.

The loss of a loved one, the disappointment of divorce, financial disaster, and serious health decline all have a way of jerking us into accepting defeat. It rips at our hearts and makes us wonder why even keep fighting. When I fix one thing, another one breaks. Just when I was getting ahead I am pushed two steps back. We can be left looking up at the sky and saying, “Really God? I just give up.”

While giving up is an option it will not be your solution. Letting go will not make your pain go away, it won’t end your problems. It will only give you temporal relief and what we really desire is permanent healing.

We must understand that God is in the healing and building business. He is not destructive or hurtful. While we face things in life that we don’t understand, He is ever present to help us process them, learn from them and move forward. One thing we must exercise is the power of our words ability to create situations and change circumstances.

The connector to our healing, victory, understanding or acceptance is in our words, our confession, what we say we really believe! We all know that our words hold great power, creating an environment around us and those we love. We can tear down and build up with our words. We can move forward or shift backwards with our words. Our challenge in times of hopelessness is the KIND OF WORDS we speak when we don’t understand what’s going on.

Knowing God’s promises to us will help us speak positively in a negative situation. The Word of God is chalked full of promises, listing them all would be a great task.

What I decided to do was list a few pertaining to God’s promise of being with us through difficult times.

God’s Promises To Us when we choose to trust Him despite what we understand:

1. Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is in the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads its roots by the river.” - Jeremiah 17:7-8

2. “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.” – Hebrews 10: 23

3. “Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.” - Genesis 28:15

1. Reach up and Reach Out: We all take change differently. Tragic events may send you inward, this is a time to reach up towards God and out towards positive people in your life. Isolation is an enemy tactic and will keep you away from healing and acceptance.

2. Write and remember: A friend of mine recently shared that she started a gratitude journal to get through tough times. Remembering the positive encounters and writing about things you are grateful for can serve as an avenue for peace.

3. SPEAK LIFE: Never forget that you are not alone and speak the promises of God over your life. Your confession of faith is ALIVE and more importantly it is a bona fide guarantee to come a live in your life because the One making the promise is FAITHFUL!

You may not be experiencing a loss right now, perhaps you are in a good place in life and everything is running smoothly. Be encouraged because time and chance happen to us all. This may be an opportunity for you to be advocate of healing for someone else. Look around, someone you know is hurting and can use your encouragement.

You can be an advocate for someone else’s healing!

Be Encouraged is a publication of Assigned to Encourage!™Design and layout provided courtesy of Integrity Designs

All written materials are the original work of the author. Copyright restricted. All rights reserved. Scripture is taken from the Holy Bible -

various versions.

Kira McConico’s universal assignment is to deliver encouragement to the hopeless through her Assigned To Encourage! ™

Words are powerful and can be spoken into dark times and bring light to life's situations.

In addition, Kira is an inspirational speaker. Her target audience is young women ages 17-30. She frequently speaks at area schools, domestic violence shelters and other organizations to encourage young women to pursue their dreams no matter their past.

While her target audience is young women, the message of encouragement is for everyone!

For booking information visit: www.assignedtoencourage.com.