What does hope look like
to you? If you're like me, hope takes on new meaning with each new situation in
life. I used to think that having "hope" meant holding onto a wish or
desire, believing that it will come true. Then life threw a dozen
curveballs my way and suddenly I was left asking God what having hope
REALLY looked like. I came to understand, through reading scripture and
one of my favorite books "Reign on Me by Holly Gerth", that hope is
not a wish to be granted. Having hope means holding onto God's promise that no
matter what happens in life, He W I L L carry you through it. Not only will He
pull you through, but you will be transformed by Him because of it. Don't get
me wrong, it is perfectly fine to have hope that a desire, such as having a family,
will come true in His time. However, I am learning, by experience, that maybe
my hope shouldn't be rooted in MY desires, but by His alone.
I saw this the other
day and thought it was pretty neat. Though, as a I keep looking at it, I
have a little bit of a problem with it. The pain from some trials are so deep
that they will NOT end. I do believe that the grieving pain and depth of pain
from a loss will eventually taper off, but in all reality, there are certain
situations that life throws our way that in which 5 months, 5 years, or 50
years from now will still be painful to revisit. However this fits into your
situation, I still think the above picture is awesome- even if I still struggle
with some of the details.
Above all- we have Hope in
Him that he will carry us through whatever life hands us- good or bad. No
matter what my dreams or your dream is- His plans are better, through heartache
and happiness!
Romans is a great book of
the bible filled with HOPE verses:
" For in this hope we
were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees?
But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience"
8:24-25
"Through him we have
also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice
in hope for the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings,
knowing that suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character, and
character produces HOPE, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love
has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to
us." 5:2-5
What does hope look like
to you right now? I'm praying for your understanding of hope in
your situation whether it be good or bad. Know that no matter what you have
been through or are currently walking in- He WILL carry you through!
-Kristin
