This Simple Truth Will Help You Endure Life’s Hardest Times

Things were different five years ago.

I barely had a footprint online, I was basically a social outcast, and I learned that the girl who loved me didn’t even exist. 

But since then, my work’s been viewed hundreds of thousands of times, countless people have thanked me for my efforts, and I’ve led some of the most unlikely people to Christ.

No, I’m not the typical American success story—I’m not rich, I’m not famous, and I don’t have a soulmate—but guess what? I still made it. I made it out of depression, loneliness, apathy, pain, embarrassment, ignorance, doubt, and self-pity. And one of the biggest reasons why is because I embraced a simple truth:

The way things are now is not how they will always be.

No matter how challenging my circumstances were, I refused to see the present as permanent. Not because I had the naive belief that life always gets better, but because I knew the future isn’t limited by today.

In short, things change. And this truth greatly affects how I view life now.

When the present is difficult, I tell myself, “The way things are now is not how they will always be.” Then I ask which actions I can take to be in a better position tomorrow. I also decide which actions I should not take based on my knowledge.

Thinking this way keeps me from getting stuck in the moment. It helps me endure bad news, illnesses, relationship troubles, and so much more. No matter how stressful a moment gets or how many demands are placed upon me, I realize the pressure is only temporary, and it frees me.

It frees me to respond with grace when others would have lashed out. It frees me to think calmly when I otherwise would have broke down. It frees me to write more when I’m tired instead of taking a day off I’ll regret later.

Now don’t get me wrong, doing this isn’t easy. We’re all humans who are limited by our experience in the present. But that’s why we can’t rely on our feelings: they only exist in the here and now.

Knowledge of future change, however, will make you align current actions with future realities:

• In terms of humility, you won’t get high on yourself because you know your status, your relevance, and your power won’t last.
• In terms of work, you’ll address problems as they arise and outlast any obstacle through consistent effort.
• In terms of relationships, you’ll appreciate fleeting moments with others, and you won’t sacrifice long-term connections for short-term “wins”.

Those are the changes you make when you act in light of the future. And the last five years have showed me how rewarding those changes can be.

I’m no longer confined to present circumstances—at least, my perspective isn’t—and both the patience and hope I’ve gained are priceless.

These days I always see a way out of trouble. That path isn’t usually clear in the moment, or the next day, or even a month later, but I know it’s there. Even if I have to look as far as eternity, I know it’s there.

“The way things are now is not how they will always be.”

That truth alone is plenty reason to rejoice.

-Drew

---

Photo by Jakob Owens on Unsplash