I live in the California wildfire area. The air quality is terrible, I have existing respiratory problems, and disaster is all around me. I’m keeping the faith, but feel like I have reached the end of my wits.

You are going through a very challenging time. I will keep you in my prayers.

Many people who do not turn to God will happily rebuild and move forward. They will rely merely on a positive attitude and hard work. Yet their ability to trudge through the ordeal without directly calling upon God is a great testimony to the love he has for us: He imbued our nature with resilience.

Others will call upon the Lord with great fervor but not act on his grace. Expecting the path to recovery to be paved solely by answered prayers, they will fail to commit to the hard work required. They are like the man who hopes to win the lottery but never buys a ticket.

The Church teaches the best of both worlds: Grace builds on nature. Right now you feel depressed, understandably so, but you should do your best to think positively with hope and confidence on a natural level — while praying for God’s grace on the supernatural level. This will give God the best foundation for rebuilding your life.

Thinking positively does not mean ignoring reality. It means praising God in good and bad times. Your part is to accept this challenge as a gift from God, one that can shape you and help you grow in holiness. If any of us could grasp the good that comes from offering up our pain and misery, we would never despair during challenging times. In fact, we would be “fired up” about every difficult moment.

As for your behaviors, I suggest you follow St. Augustine’s advice. Pray like everything depends on God, but act as though everything depends on you.

When you call upon God’s grace, be ready to accept it in whatever way he delivers it. He may give you the ability to work longer hours repairing the damage, consoling friends, finding lost articles or talking to insurance agents. He may humble you by asking you to accept the help of others. When he gives you a grace, don’t ask him to take it back or exchange it for different one. Use it with joy in whatever form it comes.

In doing so you might take a cue from our first pope, who wrote to tell the Church (as recorded in 1 Peter 1:6-7) that “for a little while you may have to suffer through various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold that is perishable even though tested by fire, may prove to be for praise, glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” Amen!

Catholic author, speaker and business consultant

Dave Durand is online at DaveDurand.com.