My Hope

March 2020 reflections: 

I’ve lost six family members in the span of 2 years. I have two months left in college, but this national pandemic has changed everything. On top of wave after wave, we learned that my older sister, Kelsey, has been diagnosed with breast cancer. Seeing my world change drastically around me over these last two years has tempted me DAILY to lose my hope, which is my protection from depression and anxiety. A few mornings this past week, I ended up throwing myself a pity party or two. I thought it would help me feel better, but I only fed my despair. I only ended up worse than where I started.

You see, we have to be incredibly careful with where we allow our minds to wander. I may FEEL like my world is crashing down, I may FEEL like I’ve been forgotten in the aftermath of the storm, I may FEEL anxiety or depression attack me from every side, but I DO NOT HAVE TO ACCEPT THE WAY I FEEL AS MY REALITY. If I lived by these feelings or if I decide to let them stay in my heart when they attack, I would NEVER heal. Unpopular opinion: we CAN change the way we feel. Anytime we want. We can’t change our circumstances, but we can change how we react. We don’t have to live by the waves of our circumstances and the fears they invoke. As followers of Jesus, we are called to lives of GRATITUDE. We have got to get our minds off of ourselves + our own problems, and begin thinking about how we can help others. At the end of the day, we are called to trust God and do good.

Did you know that you can still enjoy your life even in the middle of a huge mess? In John 10:10, Jesus says, “The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows].” Jesus came down to earth not only to announce the kingdom of God and destroy sin and death on our behalf, but He came so that we may enjoy our lives to the fullest…even right now! So I just want to ask…what are you expecting today? Are you constantly obsessing over things that haven’t even happened yet? Or are you trusting that God is going to give you the grace to humbly walk through whatever may come next? Are you confidently hoping that today (or any day!) could be the day that the LORD could heal you, or bring that breakthrough you’ve been praying for?

It doesn’t matter who you are, what your storm looks like, or how you feel—Jesus came so that you can enjoy your life AND have joy. You can have the unshakeable hope that Jesus died to give you even right now! Choosing to live in perpetual hope doesn’t mean life will be easier or that He will remove every obstacle from your life, but it does mean He will carry you through it all, and He will never leave you. Hope = confident expectation of the future. To choose hope is to get up every morning and say out loud, “I believe God is going to do something good in and through my life today.” We hope for the things we cannot yet see…it is the tense anticipation of good. The hopeful person refuses to be negative or tolerate harmful mindsets, regardless of circumstances. ANYBODY, today, can decide to be hopeful. Today, I am choosing not to be negative. We don’t have to accept and live by every negative thought that comes in our minds. And you don’t have to wait for a “special feeling” to come over you or for all your circumstances to be fixed. You can CHOOSE to be filled with hope right now. When I feel my hope under attack, when I feel anxious, overwhelmed, or STUCK in my feelings, I just call upon my friend, Jesus, who is our Hope. He is the best listener of all. As I surrender my plans and problems to Him, I feel my burdens being lifted once again. And soon enough, I’ll find myself unconsciously reaching to take all that weight back onto myself again; but then, I hear His whisper in my heart…

Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become restless and disturbed within me? Hope in God and wait expectantly for Him, for I shall again praise Him For the help of His presence.

Psalms 42:5

Let’s set our minds on Hope. CHOOSE HOPE….RECEIVE EVERLASTING JOY.