“Whatever happens, face it with hope, not with fear” (St. Francis de Sales).
A wise and great phrase of the Saint, how much a situation changes when we put into practice what he tells us here! It is worth clarifying that hope is not simply an optimistic feeling that everything will turn out well, but it is trust in God, knowing that He has everything in His hands and will turn it all to good.
Hope is a supernatural virtue that extends to situations that we cannot foresee or even imagine. It is based on what our Heavenly Father asks so much of us: trust, the knowledge of His love and the security that comes from it.
It is certainly not easy for everyone to adopt this attitude as a principle of life. Often fears, anxieties and constant worries rest on our soul and want to darken it. However, we can train ourselves in the attitude of hope by bringing before God everything that clouds our soul and asking the Holy Spirit to touch it. When we become aware, through prayer and meditation, of God’s love that never leaves us, we learn not to be carried away by negative feelings and to resist them. We must realize that although dark and oppressive feelings are there and we cannot suppress them, they do not represent our whole reality.
For example, consider the fear of what might happen to us. How many times have things turned out differently than we feared!
Our Father invites us to look to Him. In Him we can overcome fear. Not only that, but we can be sure that whatever happens, our Father will use the future for our good.