Tag: Christianity

My Source of Hope

what-gives-me-hopeWhat gives you hope? According to Rick Warren, author of The Purpose Driven Life, it is God’s grace that gives him hope. He states: “What gives me the most hope every day is God’s grace; knowing that his grace is going to give me the strength for whatever I face, knowing that nothing is a surprise to God.”

I would have to agree. Without God’s grace, I would not have the strength to fight the mental battles of anxiety and OCD, to wrestle with doubt and discouragement, to accomplish daily tasks, to embrace change, or to face life’s difficulties head-on.

“And He [Jesus] has said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.'” (2 Corinthians 12:9 NASB) It certainly doesn’t make sense: that when we are at our weakest, it is then that we are actually at our strongest. Not because of who we are or what we can do, but because of God’s power residing within us. Realizing that we don’t need to rely on ourselves to get through each day is certainly a great cause for hope.

Have you ever read Lamentations 3? It is one of my favorite passages of Scripture. After the author of the book (probably Jeremiah the Prophet) weeps and laments profusely regarding the condition of the people of Israel, he calls to mind a truth that gives him hope.

I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope:

Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, ‘The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.’

The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.

Because of God’s presence and His power, we can have peace. We can have hope for the future, knowing that the Lord is in control. Our heavenly Father sees our difficulties, and promises to be with us right there in the midst of them.

What is it that gives you hope?

He Never Lets Go

 

I have so many thoughts running through my mind right now, I don’t even know where to start. This past Wednesday, I was discharged from the behavioral health program that I had been attending for twelve weeks. I learned so much during this time, and I definitely feel like it was worth it. I acquired knowledge about myself and my illness. I learned coping skills to use when I am overcome with anxiety. And I regained the hope that I had been lacking for quite some time.

However, this is not the end of the race. Already I have faced challenges that make me doubt my progress, because of how I have responded to them. I had a follow-up psychiatrist appointment on Thursday, and I prepared for it by printing out directions and by using my GPS–but somehow I still ended up getting lost. My panic in those moments of trying to figure out where I was and how I was going to get to the doctor’s office and would there be any consequences, was strong, and I was unable to overlook it. I was so worked up when I walked in late to the Dr.’s appointment that it took me a good fifteen minutes sitting with the doctor just to calm down. Needless to say, my anxiety is still there.

Then I was finally able to get in touch with someone from Temporary Disability yesterday, who I have been trying to reach for a month, only to learn that my application had been denied again because of a discrepancy about the dates listed. But thankfully, they told me what I can do to fix this error, after which there is a possibility that I could be approved for benefits. Praise God!

Nothing is ever easy, and nothing will ever be perfect. I really need to come to terms with these truths. I want to float through life without any pain or problems, but that is just not the reality of how the world works. God has allowed difficulties into our lives–into MY life–so that we will draw closer to Him. The sooner I accept these realities, the more prepared I will be to face what is ahead.

All I can say is that I’m SO glad that God is holding onto me–and that my relationship with Him doesn’t depend on my ability to hold on to Him. He will never let me go, and because of this truth, I have the strength and hope to move forward.

“You Never Let Go”
by Matt Redman

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
Your perfect love is casting out fear
And even when I’m caught in the middle of the storms of this life
I won’t turn back
I know You are near

And I will fear no evil
For my God is with me
And if my God is with me
Whom then shall I fear?
Whom then shall I fear?

Oh no, You never let go
Through the calm and through the storm
Oh no, You never let go
In every high and every low
Oh no, You never let go
Lord, You never let go of me

And I can see a light that is coming for the heart that holds on
A glorious light beyond all compare
And there will be an end to these troubles
But until that day comes
We’ll live to know You here on the earth

Yes, I can see a light that is coming for the heart that holds on
And there will be an end to these troubles
But until that day comes
Still I will praise You, still I will praise You

I Make God Happy!

Today has been a good day, and I’m so thankful to God for how He has worked and for what He has enabled my family to accomplish. We loaded up a huge dumpster with construction material that was in our backyard, to hopefully start the process of making this space usable. We received so much help from family, that we were able to finish in one day what we were expecting to require a week to complete. Praise Him!

I can see His hand on me, and on my life. It’s not always glaringly obvious–on the contrary, a good amount of the time I must trust that He is with me and that He is working for good, even though I can’t see or feel it. But He spoke to me in a number of ways to encourage me today, and for this I am grateful.

The main reason I wanted to post to my blog tonight was to share what God taught me in His Word a short time ago. I will share the Scripture that I read, a few observations that I made, applications of those insights, and my prayer response to Him.

“The LORD your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save;

He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love,

He will rejoice over you with singing.”

Zephaniah 3:17

Observations: 1) God rejoices over me with gladness and singing. 2) He will quiet me with His love!

Applications: 1) I make God happy! He loves me! 2) God’s love for me is so amazing and overwhelming that when it envelops me, I am rendered speechless.

Father, thank You for Your limitless love for me. I thank You that You love me no matter what I do or how many times I mess up. Help me to make you happy today out of my love for You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.