Hope Victorious

Seeds come in all shapes and sizes.   If you dump a packet of mixed wildflower seeds into your hand, you will find a great variety.   Some are smooth, shiny and rounded.   Others are flat and pointy, still others have tiny filaments sticking out to catch the wind or get stuck in the fur of animals (or your socks!).   Seeds are dispersed in a variety of ways; including wind, water, animals and people. Seeds have their own set of parameters; in order to germinate the seed needs a specific amount of time and water.   Sometimes the temperature or amount of light exposure is specific in order to stir the seed to begin to grow. Hope is like a seed.   When you hope, it is like a seed being blown into your future.   Dreaming, wonder, anticipation …. These too are seeds of hope that you sow into the landscape of your life. When you look at a dry seed, it doesn’t look anything like the plant it will become.   Whether a flower seed, an apple seed, an aco...

  Several of my favorite scripture verses contain the words “all things”.   Here are a few of them: ·         And we know that God causes  all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.     Romans 8:28   ·        Therefore, I say to you,  all   things  for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you.   Mark 11:24   ·        And looking at them Jesus said to them, “With people this is impossible, but with God  all   things  are possible.”   Matthew 19:26   These verses contain some big claims!   “All” is a huge sweeping word!   Can the scripture truly mean “ALL things”?! Every. Single. Thing.   Can all things truly be worked together f...

Freedom is one of the concepts that is most often defined by its opposite or by what is lacking.   Freedom is the absence of necessity, coercion and constraint in choice or action.   Freedom is the liberation from slavery or restraint from the power of another.   It is independence or the state of being exempt from some negative force, being unrestricted or unlimited. Even within the spiritual context we often define freedom by what we are free from.   Freedom from shame and guilt, from the force of sin and death.   People speak of being free from depression, from addiction or negative habits. We don’t talk as often of what we have been set free into . Galatians 5:1 says , “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore, keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.”   I would paraphrase this verse in this way: Christ set us free so that we would enjoy our freedom. So, steward your freedom and don’t allow your...

  You are my answer In every place of uncertainty and pain Jesus:   Love - Life You are the way forward I don’t have to find the way – it has been found already You are the voice of hope, there is no other voice to follow   I turn to you in my discouragement In my worry and fear I need you more than answers to my questions You are my answer Walking with you Increased awareness of you I find confidence and hope in you   I turn to you in my weariness In my sorrow and pain. I need you more than ease from my burdens You are my comfort Being loved by you Brings me strength I find rest and life in you   I turn to you in my weakness In my failings and needs I need you more than ability for my future You are my future Being found in you Increased life in you I find my future and hope in you   You are my answer! Your wisdom and love my constant companions The comfort I find in you brings the peace I c...

  I excel at multi-tasking.   I make necessary phone calls while doing meal prep in the kitchen.   If I’m on hold with the insurance company, I start a load of laundry in the garage and then do another household chore while keeping the phone close by.   I read email while blow dying my hair and listen to podcasts while exercising or doing the dishes.   I plan out the day and make my mental “to do” list while I shower in the morning.   Productivity is elevated as a goal in our culture.   We push to see how much we can fit in each day; how much we can get done.   We strive for balance between all the demands on us in all our various roles.   Often this means that we are doing more than one thing at a time and usually feel “behind”. I have been proud of all that I can do in any given day or week.   My life is full of good things; I am a wife, a mom of four boys, I co-pastor a church.   I am a writer, a friend, a mentor and influenc...

Promise is a place in my heart where I am free Free to dream and run without fear or inhibitions   Promise is a wide-open field No obstacles or limitations Together we dance there We twirl and leap with wild abandon No evaluation -   no weighty decisions No watching or waiting Movement set free by innocence and the confidence of being loved Promise is a field I dance in   Promise is a deep pool of still cool water Clear and unclouded Together we dive in We explore the depths and float on the gentle waves No fears lurk beneath the surface No effort or depletion I rest suspended by the depths of your heart for me Promise is a pool I dive in   Promise is a whisper, faint beneath the noise Strong but still and small Together we listen - expecting to hear Wonder and beauty more than I can imagine No darkness or hint of doom A whisper like a mighty wind My soul soars as I listen to possibilities, abilities, power and wo...

  I’m walking towards love!   Every time I encounter fear, I’m making a conscience choice to turn away and move towards love.   There is no fear in love!   1John 4:18 says this: “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.”   When I experience fear, however big or small, I am taking it as an invitation to pursue love more.   Recognize the fear, turn away from it and turn towards love and run, run hard! Stress – often stress is covering fear.   I may be afraid of not having enough time, money, creativity or influence.   Stress is the response.   I am afraid it may get worse, afraid I won’t have enough, be enough, know enough.   Fear!   But love says there is always hope.   Love says that I have access to greater strength, wisdom and resources.   Love speaks hope; it may get better!   Love knows that God’s plans for me a...