“Toughness doesn’t need to be loud. It can be quiet and strong. It’s choosing hope. It’s believing in yourself when the world doesn’t give you much reason to.” - Fernando Mendoza

God raised Fernando up like he did David from humble beginnings to great achievements. He was a winner of the Heisman Trophy. And became the 2026 1st round draft pick in the NFL. All because of his faith and hope in Lord.

Hope in the Lord is "Christ in you, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27)". This hope is a promise that the indwelling presence of Jesus guarantees a future sharing in God's divine glory, resurrection, and eternal life.

Part 1 of this series focused on gratitude. Our past is based on memories. And remembrance of the past should bring gratitude to God for his kindness and gracious acts, His love and faithfulness, and His mindfulness to continue to care for us and protect us when we needed it and even when we didn’t deserve it. It is because of God that we are still here. He was there in the midst of everything, every time, helping and guiding us along the way.

As we move into part 2 of this series, we discover that “Now Faith” is an integral part in the next stage of our journey that will allow us to see the importance of the past and have confidence that we need to trust in God presently.

Faith is invisible but tangible. A divine force that produces physical results. Faith is a daily, moment-by-moment active operating system that requires patience, perseverance, and obedience to inherit, claim, and possess God's promises.

Faith is Grounded in the past and steadfast in the present fixing our hearts and minds on God and His spiritual truths right now, producing confidence, righteousness, obedience, and works according to James 2:17. Calling us to action, moving mountains, and establishing the foundation for every prayer to be answered.

Maya Angelou once said, “You can't really know where you are going until you know where you have been” her words were a rendition of an African proverb that says “if you don’t know where you are going, look back to where you came from”

Some people may say that they just want to forget their past and move on. But there is so much value in our past experiences whether they were good or bad that can help us in our present and future times. We just have to know how to use them to generate positive outcomes now and in the future.