Recently our world seems to be falling apart. Every day there are new stories plastered across the front pages of the newspapers of horrible acts being committed around the world by individuals or groups of people. Television newscasts are wrought with terrifying images and videos of terrorism and shootings happening everywhere. How are we supposed to keep faith and hope alive knowing that so many bad things are going on in the world we live in?
It certainly isn't easy. Even if we don't live in a place that is directly affected by bombings and terrorists group every day, we still can't help but live in fear. After the attacks in Paris, everyone is on edge and uncertain of where ISIS will strike next. But living in fear is a terrible way to go through life. We have to keep those lives lost and those affected by these terror attacks in our thoughts and in our prayers, but we also have to keep living our lives.
So again I ask, how can we keep faith and hope alive with so many bad things going on in the world? We can cherish the opportunities that we are given and the lives that we have been blessed with. Don't take for granted the things that you have, the people in your life, the chance you have to make a good life for yourself.
During this holiday season, give back to the less fortunate. Send holiday cards to soldiers overseas, buy toys for a local shelter, give up one day of your life to work in a soup kitchen or at a food bank. We might not be able to end terrorism on our own. But we can do little things to give back and to make our world a better, more peaceful place.
Hug your family, thank your parents for all that they do, take in each moment and each celebration you share with them. Even just sending a text to someone you have lost touch with letting them know that you are thinking about them and wanted to wish them a happy holiday! It is the little things that count.
The world is a big place with over 7 billion people in it. World peace might not be achieved by one person, but spreading the hope and the faith and the love wherever you go, can bring us one step closer to achieving it.
