Step by step...

“...Trust is a choice. We cannot always help our feelings. But our will is our own. In exhaustion, desolation, darkness, sickness, and doubts, we can choose to flee into the Lord’s own arms. We must pray—and we must make a conscious decision to pray—especially in those times when we least feel like praying. We can make mental acts of trust in divine providence, especially when our surroundings are a disaster zone. When temptation pounds away at our hearts, we can run to the Lord in the Sacraments, hide ourselves in His Sacred Heart, cry out to Him from beneath the cross. We will find that He always supplies the graces necessary to bearing our crosses. Step by step, little by little, we learn that God is infinitely patient—and generous—with those who sincerely seek Him. The fight against fear may even be a life-long effort, but still we mustn’t be unduly fearful. Where else but in fearful situations will we learn courage? Where else but in disaster zones will we learn to trust absolutely?”
~Michael O’Brien (partial re-post)