Hope Does Not Disappoint…

I hope it stops raining.

I hope my package comes in time.

I hope my kids remember to say thank you.

We hope about things all day long….and we face many disappointments.

But what exactly is hope?

Sheila Walsh in her book Let Go (which is a fabulous book and I hope you all read it!) said it so well…

“Hope is only as strong as the object or person it is attached to. It has no value of its own…”

Wow. That is so true! If my hope is in the postal service or the every changing weather, or even my wonderful, yet quite fallible family, my hope is rather… um… hopeless.

Sheila Walsh goes on…

“As I sit here today, one thing is crystal clear to me: my hope can be summed up in one name – Jesus!

If my hope is in anything else apart from Jesus, then it is too small. He is the answer to everything I need or anticipate. He is my deepest desire even when I don’t immediately recognize that.

He is my yesterday, today and tomorrow.

When everything fails, He will not.

When I can’t count on myself, I can count on Him.

When I’m not sure how to pay my bills, I can hope in him.

When I don’t know what’s happening in our country, I can hope in Him.

When friends fail, He will not.

When my health fails, He will not.

When I disappoint others and myself, He will never disappoint.

When I want to give up on myself, He will never give up on me.

When I find it hard to love myself, He does not.

When I have no grace for myself, He does.

When I don’t know what to do any more, He does.

Do you see how securely your life is tucked into the very hand of the one who holds the universe in place?

You are loved, you are loved, and yes, you are loved!”

What is your hope in today? Are you feeling disappointed? Discouraged? It’s time to put your hope in God.

He is the only one strong enough to never let you down.

“And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” Romans 5: 5

Late Night Introspection

A recent Twitter post from one of my friends caught my interest.

She said she was laying in bed the night before exhausted and discouraged, thinking about all the things she had done wrong that day.

She had herself so worked up over everything that it carried over into the next day.

I knew exactly what she meant. I’ve done it myself – often.

Years ago, when I was a young mom, a very wise older woman shared with me that I should never review my day just before sleep nor should I make any life changing decisions.

Why? Because at that time of the day I am exhausted and it’s the perfect opportunity for Satan to come in and twist the days events until they are all out of focus.

I would mentally beat myself up over my failings, fall asleep and wake up feeling like a failure.

Instead of replaying the days events, this very wise older woman told me to just give them all to the Lord, confessing your failures and claiming His forgiveness.

Then, in the light of day, armed with scriptures, make the necessary changes.

Don’t doubt in the darkness what God has shown you in the light.

You are His precious child, your loving heavenly Father is ready with open arms to forgive and grant you rest.

“I will both lay down and sleep in peace…” Psalm 4:8

Ruts in the Road of Life

Are you discouraged today? These words from Pam Vredevelt might help…

“Life has a way of digging deep trenches in our path and bulldozing us to the bottom of the hole. One day we’re kicking up our heels, dancing down the road, enjoying the scenery. The next day we find ourselves sprawled out on our backsides with mud walls closing in on us. We’re stuck in a rut. A slump…

The truth is, ruts are just another part of the journey…a natural by-product of having bodies that get hurt and spirits that get demoralized…

The best prescription for slump syndrome is grace. We give ourselves grace when we refuse to expect more from ourselves than we can possibly deliver. We give ourselves grace when we grant ourselves permission to rest, sleep, play, take a break and get alone with God…

There are lessons to be learned in ruts. We won’t always understand the full meaning of the lesson until we’re further down the road. But for now we need to trust that God is up to something good, even in the ruts. Even when things don’t happen the way we want. Even when little makes sense, and we feel buried after life’s demands…

On days when it feels as if the walls are caving in on you and your backside is caked in mud, remember that God can do amazing things with mud. He created Adam out of it. He healed the blind man with it. The woman caught in adultery found freedom as she read His inscriptions from it.

I wonder what surprises He has in store for us today…The rule of grace says that His blessings can be found even at the bottom of a rut.

~Pam Vredevelt from Espresso for Your Spirit

Give yourself grace today!

Hebrews 4:16 ” Let us then approach the throne with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”