4 Powerful Ways to Live in Faith During Great Challenges

Dr. Laura Gabayan and her family treasure memories of Temescal Canyon Park in Pacific Palisades, CA, near where their family home recently burned down.

Source: Dr Laura Gabayan

My home and my community recently burned to the ground in the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles, California, that started on January 7, 2025. In the midst of my despair, the only thing I could do was live in faith. While thinking about how this tragedy could “work out”, I relied on four powerful ways to live in faith during great challenges and the core life skills that I discuss in my Common Wisdom books.

It’s very hard to keep your cool when the world seems to be ending around you, but if you dig deep, you can find the inner strength to keep you going.

My first thought was, “How could I be witnessing such devastation in my own hometown?” And then I tried to focus on whether this devastation would have a silver lining. I lost our family’s home, which had all the memories of raising my four kids with my husband. I lived in the Pacific Palisades for 18 years, more than any other city I had ever been in my life.

To make matters worse, I witnessed great price gouging, which is illegal. Many businesses and landlords were trying to take advantage of the 150,000+ displaced people by the Palisades Fire and Eaton Fire in the Los Angeles area. We all needed to find shelter quickly and were surrounded by great fear. Others were so afraid of not having a place to stay that they agreed to pay ridiculous prices. They were living in fear. I knew I could not live in fear, so I decided to find faith that this overwhelming situation was all going to work out, somehow.

I had so many emotions, and there was too much devastation that it was hard to remain calm. I was a ball of nerves, and could not see a light at the end of the tunnel. I reflected on the ideas that could keep me thriving, not just surviving. I had to.

Here are the four powerful ways to live in faith that gave me the inner strength to cope with my loss.

1. Be Grateful

It’s really hard to be grateful when so much has happened, and you are suffering. However, it’s the best thing you can do. Being mad will not do anything except make you more upset about the situation. It may be challenging, but this form of forced appreciation of things can actually help during times of despair.

You need to remind yourself of what you have and gratitude is the only way. You deserve to be happy, and gratitude will help you do that. It’s not a form of ignoring of your problems. It’s realizing that life happens, and you have to move past this overwhelming event. You have to make sure you experience some joy while coping with your loss. You are human. You are not a robot. You have emotions. Gratitude is a way to soften the “blow” of the difficulty you are facing.

2. Live in Faith and Not Fear

Throughout this process, there was a lot of fear. Some of our initial thoughts included: “What will happen?”, “What are we going to do?”, “Where will we live?” and “How will the kids deal?” This fear and anxiety will not serve you. It’s natural to feel this way. I myself suffered through many sleepless nights of worry and despair, but realized that it was only making me feel worse.

I knew that I had to have faith. To overcome this, I had to believe that it would work out. I did not know how this would happen, but I had to believe that it would. This acceptance was a form of spiritual surrender.

3. Know That Things Will Work Out

The belief that you will get through this life-changing event is connected to you living in faith and not in fear. Put aside wondering “how” and just believe. As humans, we can’t explain many things like this sudden, unexpected event. Logic does not work when you are dealing with so much all at once.

4. Be Fiercely Flexible

Flexibility was not my strong point. Planning and routine gave me comfort. In this situation, I learned how to take things one day at a time and recognize that we don’t really know what tomorrow brings. I have been flexible with where I stay at night, what we will eat, where my kids will go to school, and what the future holds. What I had envisioned as my daily routine and life is no longer here. So I have learned to embrace the unknown.

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While devastating, this loss and survival experience has taught me many lessons. When faced with this type of unspeakable tragedy, you need resilience and positivity to overcome obstacles, along with love and kindness to mend your broken heart.

As we move into a temporary home after two weeks of being nomads, these four pillars have helped us see how this tragedy has brought the Los Angeles community closer. People who were price gouging have been stopped, and so many have reached out to us with a spirit of kindness. It has fostered a sense of generosity amongst businesses that are giving away so many things. It has led to so much warmth, love, and affection among complete strangers.

I hope that you can also use these four powerful ways to live in faith when you face life challenges. Life is not perfect, and these tools can provide you with coping skills and inner peace when needed most.