The Bible talks about the importance of faith, hope, and love. In my life, I’ve focused a lot on my struggles with faith and love, but it wasn’t until a few years ago that I realized there was a lack of hope in my life.
Although I didn’t see it at the time, I think I spent most of my 20’s in a state of hopelessness. Things weren’t right, but I didn’t do anything to change that. Looking back, I think this is because I didn’t have hope. I don’t think I even recognized what it felt like.
Then, a few years ago, I started losing weight, and I knew what hope was. It sounds like such a silly, shallow, thing to cause such a profound emotion. But all of a sudden, I started thinking that maybe I could have the things I wanted. And now that I’ve experienced it, I think that hopeful is one of my very favorite ways to feel. Even better than the satisfaction of getting what you want.
I thought I understood the phrase “our hope is in Christ.” I thought that had to do with going to heaven. And yes, it does, but I’m realizing it’s so much more than that. To me, hope is the quiet joy you feel when you look forward to the blessings God hasn‘t even given you yet. It’s almost a secret that makes me want to smile mischievously. Because other people may look at my life and see the problems and the things I’m lacking, but I have something they don’t know about- hope. I know that God is good, and that even if I don’t get exactly what I want, God is still good and everything will be okay. I truly believe deep down that there are so many opportunities and possibilities and good things in my future. I know that when I'm unhappy, things will get better. And when I found hope, I started living differently. More confidently and with this assurance that God will give me the desires of my heart.
So, when one of my very favorite people recently told me she was feeling hopeless, and I wanted to cry. To me, being hopeless is pretty much the worst thing in the world. What’s the point of life without hope? I am praying and praying that she finds it.
I recently read this part of Lamentations 3 from The Message. The author has just described some of the worst suffering imaginable. But then he says:
“But there’s one thing I remember, and remembering, I keep a grip on hope:
God’s loyal love couldn’t have run out,
His merciful love couldn’t have dried up.
They’re created new every morning.
How great Your faithfulness!
I’m sticking with God (I say it over and over).
He’s all I’ve got left.
He proves to be good to the man who passionately waits,
To the woman who diligently seeks.
It’s a good thing to quietly hope,
Quietly hope for help from God.
It’s a good thing when you’re young
To stick it out through the hard times.
When life is heavy and hard to take,
Go off by yourself. Enter the silence.
Bow in prayer. Don’t ask questions:
Wait for hope to appear.”
So now I kinda feel like I ruined my secret, telling everyone how I am overflowing with hope. But I am so thankful for hope, and I’m even more thankful that my hope is in Christ. I think that it is the best thing in my life right now.
Although I didn’t see it at the time, I think I spent most of my 20’s in a state of hopelessness. Things weren’t right, but I didn’t do anything to change that. Looking back, I think this is because I didn’t have hope. I don’t think I even recognized what it felt like.
Then, a few years ago, I started losing weight, and I knew what hope was. It sounds like such a silly, shallow, thing to cause such a profound emotion. But all of a sudden, I started thinking that maybe I could have the things I wanted. And now that I’ve experienced it, I think that hopeful is one of my very favorite ways to feel. Even better than the satisfaction of getting what you want.
I thought I understood the phrase “our hope is in Christ.” I thought that had to do with going to heaven. And yes, it does, but I’m realizing it’s so much more than that. To me, hope is the quiet joy you feel when you look forward to the blessings God hasn‘t even given you yet. It’s almost a secret that makes me want to smile mischievously. Because other people may look at my life and see the problems and the things I’m lacking, but I have something they don’t know about- hope. I know that God is good, and that even if I don’t get exactly what I want, God is still good and everything will be okay. I truly believe deep down that there are so many opportunities and possibilities and good things in my future. I know that when I'm unhappy, things will get better. And when I found hope, I started living differently. More confidently and with this assurance that God will give me the desires of my heart.
So, when one of my very favorite people recently told me she was feeling hopeless, and I wanted to cry. To me, being hopeless is pretty much the worst thing in the world. What’s the point of life without hope? I am praying and praying that she finds it.
I recently read this part of Lamentations 3 from The Message. The author has just described some of the worst suffering imaginable. But then he says:
“But there’s one thing I remember, and remembering, I keep a grip on hope:
God’s loyal love couldn’t have run out,
His merciful love couldn’t have dried up.
They’re created new every morning.
How great Your faithfulness!
I’m sticking with God (I say it over and over).
He’s all I’ve got left.
He proves to be good to the man who passionately waits,
To the woman who diligently seeks.
It’s a good thing to quietly hope,
Quietly hope for help from God.
It’s a good thing when you’re young
To stick it out through the hard times.
When life is heavy and hard to take,
Go off by yourself. Enter the silence.
Bow in prayer. Don’t ask questions:
Wait for hope to appear.”
So now I kinda feel like I ruined my secret, telling everyone how I am overflowing with hope. But I am so thankful for hope, and I’m even more thankful that my hope is in Christ. I think that it is the best thing in my life right now.
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