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



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