Have you Lost Hope?

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 This morning was one of those mornings. In fact this week was one of those weeks. Heck it's been a month and a lifetime if I really think about it. That's not to say that I don't see the good in each day...most days... and the blessings in disguise cause I absolutely do. I have much to be grateful for... even if it's just the lessons I have learned through the difficulties I have faced.

Looking back and being grateful for what God has done in my life gives me HOPE for the future but lately I feel like I have begun to lose sight of that HOPE and forgotten to praise and worship Him when I don't feel like it.

I am continually amazed at how God speaks directly into the inner workings of my heart, through pretty much anything, and ties things together to say exactly what I need to hear at just the right moment, even though I haven't necessarily even voiced my particular struggles to anyone at the time. 

That is the beauty of relationship with a the Living God.

So yesterday was Sunday and the message at my home church was all about Faith, Hope and Love and how they work TOGETHER. Most people have heard that Love is the greatest of the three and but I have never really realized the significance of losing HOPE and how it can actually threaten the loss of both Faith and Love. In Fact, may be the is the very reason why our HOPE seems to be under such attack!
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If you lose HOPE in God for working on your behalf, you lose the TRUTH that God Loves you.

​If you lose HOPE in God for working on your behalf, you lose the TRUTH that God Loves you. If God Loves you why wouldn't he keep His promises to you...to work all things together for your good (Romans 8:28), to never fail you or abandon you (Deut. 31:6) and to answer you when you call on Him in the midst of trouble (Psalm 86:7)?

So when we lose our HOPE we also lose our FAITH in Him and our belief of His LOVE for us. And guess who wins in that scenario? Not you and Not God...but our enemy, the devil.

This message reminded me that the path to keeping HOPE alive in our hearts is through surrender, praise and worship and through gratitude towards God for all that he has done and promises to do! 

So back to my story of How God uses "anything" to speak and my frustrating morning.... I slept though my alarm and was awoken to the sound of my children's school bus honking. I was exhausted from being up with my son who apparently had had too much junk food over the weekend. I dragged myself out of bed to inform my girls that we were late and they needed to get up immediately because they had missed the bus and now I had to drive them to school. It was my day off and I had been looking forward to staying in my pj's and not going anywhere but on the bright side I could take this opportunity to run a few errands since I would now be going into town after-all.

I grabbed my morning cup of coffee, touched up my smudged makeup from the day before, put on some comfy clothes, looked in the mirror and said that will have to do. I woke up my pukey breathed toddler and chased him around the house trying to get him ready. I talked my pre-teen daughter through a wardrobe meltdown and tide-to-go'd a stain on my second daughter's shorts before rushing out the door. We made it only a half hour late for school and remembered the lunches so I counted it as a success and headed downtown.

It was a beautiful sunshiny morning. I'm pretty sure both my son and I looked a little disheveled as we strolled down the street but I didn't really care. First stop was our local health food store. I was out of my new favourite Keto-friendly protein bars. After picking up my bars and convincing my 3-years old that walking was a much better alternative to crawling down the street, we continued on to our next stop. As we turned the corner I heard something drop behind me. I looked back and saw a smooth stone lying on the sidewalk. I disregarded it at first and kept walking but then I remembered the new keychain charm I recently received at a church event... I abruptly stopped and exclaimed to myself, "Oh my Gosh...that's my HOPE stone... I just lost my Hope!"

I grabbed my son's hand and ran back and sure enough, lying there on the sidewalk was my keychain stone engraved with the word "HOPE."
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I picked it up thanking God that I hadn't lost my HOPE and chuckled to myself as I realized the symbolism. I heard God say "Donna, remember what I spoke to you about yesterday... It's Monday, don't lose your HOPE this week, surrender me this day, praise me, worship me and thank me...and your HOPE will be preserved and all that you are believing me for will come to pass in my time. I LOVE YOU."

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This message was for me but I believe it was also to be shared with you... if you have been feeling HOPELESS lately, I challenge you to:

• Direct your attention to God...open up your heart to hear His voice.
• Surrender. Stop trying to make things happen. Give all your worries to Him and trust Him.
• Give Him Thanks. Look back on your life and see where He has protected you and carried you even when you didn't see it at the time. 
• Praise Him for who He is what He is gonna do, even before it happens.
• Feel HOPE rise in your heart along with FAITH in the God who hears you and LOVES you... not for anything you have or have not done, but simply because of you are you.

#WordsofWisdom

"Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. 2Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.
3We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 4And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident HOPE of salvation. 5And this HOPE will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. ~ Romans 5: 1-5 NLT

Donna Joy

Beauty in the Broken Blog Author + Child of God + Wife + Mama of 4.  Sunshine, coffee, dark chocolate and good conversation are her idea of a good time. Donna enjoys writing as a way of processing life. She also enjoys sharing wellness tips and recipes for living well. Donna's goal with her writing is to inspire & encourage frazzled moms to take care of themselves and find purpose in their daily lives. Follow her on social @donnajoywest