In the face of adversity it’s often to find a person or group in the midst of an identity crisis. Where the question who am I really, what do I have to give, am I who I thought I was? These questions flood the collective conscious. The desire to survive seeps in and begins to take over. Survival at its core blinds everything else including at times reality. The team, the group, the organization, the family all face the moment when what’s been and was good enough isn’t enough anymore. When the mirror is no longer kind when it looks back.

Much like the pitcher who realizes how much he’s really lost on his fastball, not in the comfort of his home but on the mound in front of millions. Facing life altering circumstances is like that being on the mound, under the lights nothing but eyes fixated on every movement. There’s a harsh edge between success and failure with nothing in between. This is the point where many stop, they set the ball down and head to the dugout and eventually all the way home. The circumstances too loud, the lights too bright and the haunting voice of impending failure oh too loud. The man, the woman that walks off the mound on any given weekday in any given home or office conceding the circumstances too difficult, too great.

When facing life altering circumstances rarely are we presented with a clear honest picture. The emotion of the moment is fear. Fear then manifests in anger, hate and blame.

The stress is the worst, feeling like the house of cards is coming down. Laying awake at night, waking up stressed. Yet the house still stands, all the stress and hours fearing the worst sit still unfounded. The circumstances may still look bleak and the outlook darker still.

Faith can be a lot of things, what I know to be true is that when faces with mounting adversity faith is the ability to stand. To stand not for standings sake, for ego or arrogance. To stand for the lives that depend upon your foothold, the lives that count on you to continue to stand.

Hope is not lost until you stop standing. Whatever your circumstances, no matter how dark continue to stand.