Hope Victorious

“A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices” - My favorite lyric of all Christmas songs.   Hope – a whisper, distant and quiet. A delicate thread with an imperceptible pull.   This is not the end The best is yet to come I’m going to be ok It IS working… Don’t give up! I’m stronger than I think Nothing is impossible with God These truths seem small at first, but as I give them my attention, my full gaze, and hold on - The pull intensifies - I am moved from weariness into greater life. It’s not too late You are making a difference Look at how far you’ve come Never give up There is an uprising of hope.   Possibility – Potential Maybe there is more Perhaps it is better than I can see right now And that thread of hope becomes a life line.   It moves me from weariness, discouragement and sorrow into hope, gratitude and wonder. A thrill of hope, my weary soul rejoices. I give thanks.   I celebrate. And then I choose to continue even while weariness still cling

Life has grown up from the ruins of my past.   The barren places, once torn and broken, have been repaired and I find that I am restored.   The ashes of what I lost, once covered me in shame.   The remnant of my pain clung to every surface, penetrated every crevice. A future, once bright with hope, was dull and without light.   Love called to me in my devastation and invited me to be comforted.   I heard it in the acceptance of dear friends, who tenderly peeled back the layers to find me.   I felt it in the peaceful rest I experienced in worship.   The truths I heard of this God were so different than what I had learned all those years ago.   I had known God to be a tyrant, angry and accusing.   I feared the shame of him, for I had fallen short.   I had left my home, run from my past and from this burden of a standard too high to ever meet. But now this was confronted with love that was tender and true.   My hardness was met with compassion and patient understanding.   There were

  I see you Even the places where you hide from others The loneliness and sorrow you have tucked away Behind your determined smile – Beneath your hopeful words I see your disappointments I hear the questions that rise up from their loss I hear your secret longings and the places of wondering how it might have been I see you and I know you I see how you keep trusting and moving Even when you are afraid, unsure and feeling small I see you hoping and finding the smallest joys I see your effort – Your persistent determination But I also see your weariness - the fear that lurks below I see you   -   I know you I know you feel alone It is understanding that you desire most To be listened to carefully To be remembered and thought of in the details Surprised by compassion – Celebrated with joy You too are worth the time taken, the choice to slow down You are worth the words spoken, repeated again, and even again You are treasured and valued, known as y

The “onion analogy” has long been used in various counseling applications.  With its many layers, the onion symbolizes the journey towards healing and wholeness.   You work through one layer and discover another.   The “peeling back of layers” has been used to describe the process of discovering one’s true identity and the roots of various issues that a person deals with.   As you go deeper in discovery, one layer at a time, you find and deal with the source or deeper reason for reactions, behaviors, feelings, etc. As a survivor of trauma and sexual abuse, who has seen various kinds of counselors over the years, I have heard about “the onion”.   I understand the picture and its purpose, but honestly, I have despised the onion analogy!   From the first time I heard it and every time for years following, it was depressing and defeating.   To me it sounded like a torture sentence:   the forecast of my future is layer after layer of working through pain and the effects of trauma.   Once so

I have heard it said – And honestly, I’ve found it true You find what you are looking for   Problems, Frustrations, Countless reasons to worry Never hiding; they are easy to find! Grounds for anger, Hurt feelings, Sadness, even Depression Any day – Everyday – even several times a day   But if you try, you will find Beauty is just as easy to see Look for smiles, Listen for laughter, Feel the warmth of the sun on your face Watch for kindness, Compassion, a Word of wisdom Courage, Joy, Love and Wonder When you’re looking – You will see them Any day – Everyday – even several times a day   Me – I’m looking for joy and flowers – for love and laughing children I’m looking for kind words softly spoken, the tenderness of a friend For old dreams coming true, New dreams born on the wind of promises I hold dear I’m looking for growth to celebrate, reasons to hope For healing and new life Any day – Everyday – even several times a day   I am finding the joy, I’m looking for!

For me, being understood is one of my greatest desires in friendship.   Equally as strong is my desire to understand the other person.   Understanding requires listening carefully, asking good questions, considering verbal and nonverbal communication. But getting to a point of understanding is not always easy.   I am willing to work, to persevere through misunderstanding, hurt and frustration to get to a place of resolve.   The worst thing for me in friendship is feeling the distance of misunderstanding and unresolved pain. I realize that I am often dependent on understanding in order to experience peace in relationships.   I rely on feeling understood by someone and feeling like I can understand them to feel anchored and secure in our friendship. Agreement is not nearly as strong a need in me.   I am not threatened, nor do I feel that friendship is weakened by disagreement, as long as there is mutual understanding of both points of view. The greatest challenge is when coming to a

     My love for you is fierce and unyielding; nothing tames it’s strength You are a wonder to me – I am so grateful for the gift of you in my life Loving you has changed me, formed me into who I am and yet we are still growing and discovering life together Your years of dependence on me were a treasured gift and yet a great challenge I poured myself into you and still there is so much I have to give you Your growing independence stretches me and thrills me at the same time There is much you can and will do for yourself My greatest hope is that you continue to find strength, love, acceptance and wisdom flowing from me to you No matter how big and strong you are, and will become The love and hope I have for you will be greater still I wish you adventure Experiences that teach you and fill you with awe and wonder Adventure that grows you more fully into who you are destined to be I wish you companionship and friendship You are a leader and will always find it easy to have friends, but I

  Respair is an old and seldom used word, coined from two Latin roots meaning “again” and “hope.”   As a noun,  respair  means “the return of hope after a period of despair.” As a verb,  respair  means “to have hope again.”   What a beautiful word! We all experience times where our hope becomes weary or slight.   We may have seasons of hopelessness and despair.   Respair is the opposite of despair. Respair is fresh hope; a recovery from despair.   I believe that hope is a choice, not just a feeling.   I find that in times of life when I feel hopeless, I can turn towards hope.   It is not striving, trying to work up a feeling of optimism.   Rather, it is a determined choice to turn towards something greater that brings me hope.   It is a choice of focus and pursuit. I may have hope in my ability or in someone else’s.   Instead of continuing to rehearse all the ways things are going wrong or not working out, I choose to switch my focus to what I know I can change, or who I can ask