Hope

Do you ever have moments in your life where you finally feel vindicated in your hopes and prayers to God? I would hope that particular question is rhetorical for you, and that with pure honesty you can yes because there is nothing quite like knowing your perseverance having paid off. It is not simply the joy of knowing that you have aligned yourself with God's will in your walk, but also the reminder that God is still intimately intertwined with your daily life. Personally I find it hard to hope and have been criticized for the lack of hope I have at times. Perhaps guarded by what I deem to be realistic expectations or being jaded from personal experiences or whatever the case may be, it has definitely been a challenge and steps of faith for me to understand and explore what it is exactly to hope. To hope beyond reason and believe and to trust that a God who is beyond my capabilities and understanding, desires for me to attain certain attributes and experiences in my life. So as life changes daily, I try to hope daily in something new. From the mundane of little to no traffic on the way to work, to the life altering of lives being drastically changed I seek to gain more and more appreciation for a God that gives us hope. I do not expect to always have answers revealed to me, or to even see changes but when I am able to see God's goodness and hope for more I feel like I am becoming a more joyful, and therefore better Christian.

Hope can be a double edged sword, it can make you depressed and bitter if you constantly bog down yourself with what could have, should have been in your mind, but it should be all the more empowering if you understand the bond it creates with God. Recently we have been blessed beyond measure with something we had been hoping for awhile now, a place we can call our own, a home. Rebekah and I can only hope that we can make it a blessing unto others, as God has blessed us with it. It will be a daily challenge that I hope, makes us better as a family, as friends, and as Christians.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the holy spirit you may abound in hope. Romans 15:13 ESV The steps you take don't need to be big, they just need to take you in the right direction Jemma Simmons, Agents of SHIELD



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Unwavering

Image
  They say a picture is worth a thousand words and much can be inferred, assumed, and unraveled from a single picture.  This may seem like a simple picture at first; the aftermath of my wife making a gaffe in the kitchen while attempting to make me a smoothie. But context will always give better insight into situations.  Even though this picture was only a couple of months ago, I can look back and see in this picture a tipping point in an extremely troubling time in both of our lives.  Despair, frustration, grief, anger, sadness, disbelief, disappointment and so much more that I cannot put into words flow through this image. Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30 NKJV I cannot speak for my wife, of her experience and feelings in regards to all of life's recent lunacies
Read more

Reliance

Just as I am, without one plea But that Thy blood was shed for me And that Thou bid'st me come to Thee O Lamb of God, I come! I come Just as I am, though tossed about With many a conflict, many a doubt Fighting and fears within without O Lamb of God, I come, I come Just as I am, and waiting not to rid my soul of one dark blot to thee whose blood can cleanse each spot O Lamb of God, I come, I come Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind Sight, riches, healing of the mind Yea, all I need, in Thee to find O Lamb of God, I come, I come! Just as I am, Thou wilt receive Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve Because Thy promise I believe O Lamb of God, I come, I come Ive been meditating on this hymn for about a month, suffice to say this year has been hard and difficult in more than one aspect but its forced me to step back and look at myself spiritually and reassess understand what I am content with and what I am seeking. The one thing I am finding immense comfort and joy in is that regar
Read more

Transition

It is a vain exercise to fight against change, like grains of sand through an hourglass or a rushing waterfall, change only demands one thing; the march of time. How we understand, cope and adapt with said changes is what will define our path moving forward.   Its been quite a season of life in the past couple of months and to sum it all up simply would be the ongoing theme of God's mercies and kindness towards me, and my wife.  It is quite overwhelming to think of how many obstacles have been overcome to get moved into our new home but here we are, despite all the issues and despite changing of timelines many, many times. Now comes the task of adjusting to a new lifestyle, new challenges, new burdens and yet also new joys, new blessings and new opportunities to seek the Lord in all.  It is an opportunity to further act on what I am called to do as a husband, to love my wife as Christ loved the church (Eph 5:25) and to find new footing as a man, and child of God in our new setting.
Read more