I chose to Believe ANYWAY in the midst of the greatest loss of my life and this is what happened…

My friend, Hope Lamberson was so vulnerable and generous to share her story with me and I wanted to share it with you today to encourage you that even in the greatest losses of life, God is faithful and we can choose to believe ANYWAY. 

I remember the day that forever changed my life—the day I got the phone call that left me feeling completely lost. Lost for words, lost about my future, and lost in my emotions. I was just shy of turning twenty, attending Rhema Bible College in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and nearly one month away from graduation. But that day, my grandmother called, leaving a voicemail that shattered my world: my father, my best friend, had just passed away from a sudden heart attack at the age of forty-five.

Hope died that day, buried alongside my dad. As a daddy’s girl, I found myself overwhelmed by a sense of uncertainty so vast, I couldn’t see a way through it.

Maybe you’ve been there too—lost something that felt irreplaceable, like a wedding ring, a cherished childhood gift, or even something seemingly small like your phone or car keys. Perhaps it’s been something bigger, like a job, a marriage, a child, or a parent. Or maybe it’s the loss of something internal—your joy, your peace, your drive for life.

Whatever it is, you’ve felt the weight of loss, and with that weight, a whole range of emotions: bitterness, anger, hurt, and disappointment. You’ve had regrets, felt like giving up, and maybe even given up on your dreams. It’s easy to get lost in the idea that life is just too much to handle, that it’s all too overwhelming. I get it because I’ve been there.

But I’m here to tell you that your hope isn’t gone. It’s been misplaced for a while, perhaps, but it’s still there. Deep down, we all want to believe again, but sometimes we just don’t know how. I didn’t know how at first either, but I can tell you that getting my hope back was a choice I had to make. And guess what? It’s a choice you can make too.

Hope is not a feeling. It’s a decision.

You can choose to hope, or you can choose to quit. There’s no in-between. When I decided to hope again, everything began to change. Hope didn’t change my circumstances or the grief I carried, but it changed me. And that change is what brought me back to life.

A scripture that has anchored me through every season of loss is Hebrews 6:19-20 NASB: “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast, and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us.”

I also learned something powerful in 2015 when God spoke to me about my calling. He said it had everything to do with my name. Growing up, I didn’t like my name, but God’s sense of humor is always on point. I realized that no matter what I had lost, hope was still mine if I chose it. And I made a promise to myself that if I could share that hope with anyone—whether from a pulpit or in a one-on-one conversation—I would.

Loss will come. Pressure will come. But we don’t have to let it define us.

The truth is, we have to choose to hope in God through it all. And when you make that choice, it’s hard to stop. His promises will carry you through.

At the end of the day, God is still God, and He is still good.

Find More Hope in the Believe ANYWAY Book

If you’re struggling to choose hope or simply need encouragement to keep going, Believe ANYWAY is here to remind you that faith, even in the hardest moments, is what carries us through. In this powerful book, you’ll discover how choosing to believe ANYWAY can change everything, just as it did for me.

Click here: https://adriennecooley.store/products/believe-anyway-all-in-one-book-and-workbook 

Don’t stop there! Grab the ANYWAY Bundle for the full experience.

This bundle includes:

• Happy ANYWAY: Learn to embrace joy regardless of your circumstances.
• Love ANYWAY: Discover the strength to love beyond limits.
• Believe ANYWAY: Unlock the power of belief to live victoriously.

Get your ANYWAY Bundle here: https://adriennecooley.store/products/believe-anyway-all-in-one-book-and-workbook 

Happy Monday! 

God is Love is Happy,
Adrienne Cooley