Hope!

In the midst of the craziness with the COVID-19 shutting the globe down, I have found myself thinking about the hundreds and thousands who are struggling with this in addition to the overwhelming feeling of dismay that they have met upon learning that all they have ever known was a lie. It saddens my heart and I just wish that I could reach across the distance and hug each one and let them know that it will all be alright. But how can the human heart bear up under the weight of so much heaviness? The mind just can get so weary from trying to sort it all out and then to wrestle with the emotions and the woundedness of the soul that is torn between what is real and what feels real. It's just exhausting!

Friends, there is a word that can sink into the middle of the darkness and create a spark that pierces through the fog - HOPE. What is hope? One definition says "“Hope” is commonly used to mean a wish : its strength is the strength of the person's desire." Hope is the element that helps us persevere believing that things will get better at the end of the troubled time we are experiencing at the moment. We HOPE that this virus crisis will end soon, we HOPE that our business or our jobs will be able to sustain this global shutdown, or how about we HOPE our children will not have to face the same deception and/or abuse that we did... I would imagine that there are thousands of 'hopes' out there at any given moment.

The Bible talks about hope, too. It even says that 'hope deferred makes the heart sick'. (Prov 13:12). Sometimes the delay of what we hope for makes us lose hope. There is nothing that hurts like the heart without hope. I think that when a person loses hope, they cannot see the bright spots or the silver linings in each moment. We lose sight of the beauty and the things that are positive because there is a delay in what we are hoping for. But be encouraged - the process of waiting can be a place of building and strengthening. Patience while we are waiting for that thing we hope for is important. I will be honest - patience is not one of my greatest characteristics... but I have found that while I am waiting through the process, I have an opportunity to see God work in ways I would never expect. In fact, I have learned that it is the process that I am going through that changes me. God is always wanting to change us into amazing works of art - no matter how bad the abuse, no matter how bad we screw up, no matter what mess we've come out of, He is always ready and willing and able to turn things around and make the mess a masterpiece.

I read an article by Tony Evans that put things in perspective and gave me hope in this time. "Friend, God can take a mess and make a miracle if you put your hope in Him. He promises that, “those who hope in Me will not be disappointed.” (Isaiah 49:23 NIV) In fact, God is able to turn things around so completely and satisfy you so fully that He will do more than merely bring you out of your emotional bondage. He can even cause you to forget how deep it ever was. I know your hopelessness may seem overwhelming and you may even wonder how you could ever overcome it, but if you will do as Abraham did—who hoped when he had no hope at all: “In hope against hope he believed” (Romans 4:18). God will honor your trust. He can turn your emotional pain into victorious gain."

I just want to encourage you to keep pressing forward. You can do this! Never give up hope. Never let go of the dreams you have and what you want to see in your own life. Let those dreams stay in focus and keep you reaching and growing. You WILL get there - even if it takes a little time, but never give up! ❤