the negative facts of your life can be changed, but you must first acknowledge and understand them.

Facts can be ugly, which is why most people would rather deny than face them. Most folks prefer to hide from the unpleasant facts of their circumstances.

Furthermore, because we know intuitively that facts can be altered, most of us unwittingly assume that pretending that the facts were different, would somehow make them go away.

The reality, however, is that to alter facts, you must first acknowledge and understand them.

Abraham is usually regarded as the father of faith, and he is a great example in this regard.

Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead —since he was about a hundred years old —and that Sarah’s womb was also dead.
~Romans 4:19

He faced the fact. He didn’t shy away from it, or pretend that it wasn’t so; he faced it. And he did it without weakening in his faith.

Negative circumstances don’t just go away with time. Time doesn’t really change anything. In fact, if you leave the negative facts, and hide your head in the sand in denial, those facts will most likely grow worse. Things change with force, not with time – and by force I mean conscious effort inspired by wisdom, grounded by faith, and stabilized by patience.

You need to face the facts of your life without weakening in your faith, because you will need that faith – reinforced by wisdom and patience – to alter those facts.

Yes, you don’t have to bow to negative facts; but, you must first acknowledge – face – and understand them.