How is your journey going?

Hope

Ladies, we need HOPE.  Hope makes us move ahead for the greater good for our children and ourselves.    It is easy to become like Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh.  Do you remember that purple donkey?  According to Eeyore everything was negative and nothing was exciting. He just existed.  I have met single Moms who are like this.  They live a defeated life as if they had nothing to live for.

Man, have I got news!!!  We have a big world out there with possibilities and new steps to travel.  There is plenty to live for.  It’s not going to be easy, but I promise it will be worth it.

After years of staying home with my kids I hardly knew how to turn on a computer but I persevered.  People believed in me and gave me chances. I took night school courses and built my resume.  I learned that I could balance a bank account, take the battery out of the riding lawn mower, and build a home for my children.

So my dear friend, begin to hope!  Wake up each day with a sense of hope that things are going to move ahead.  We don’t have to be like Eeyore.  We can be positive and believe in a life with hope.  God is rooting for us.  He gave His 100% guarantee of never leaving us or abandoning us.
Psalm 34: 18 says, “The Lord is there to rescue all who are discouraged and have given up hope.”

God’s got you covered. He is waiting for you to take this step with Him.

Trust

How do you begin to trust again when your definition of trust has been erased from your mind?   That is a toughie but I know it can be done. Give yourself permission to take some time to heal.

God is the only one that is trustworthy with His 100% guarantee. Have you noticed He provides 100% coverage in life issues?  I have tested this trust thing over the years and He has never let me down.  That doesn’t mean that He gave me everything I asked for.  It means He created us and passionately cares and loves each of us.  He will help us get through this.  Trusting God is a risk that is worth taking.  Be honest with God in your thoughts, fears, and your uncertainties.  He is a big God with a big heart and a big plan.

“Trust God, my friends, and always tell him each one of your concerns.  God is our place of safety.” (Psalm 62:8)

Take a risk with God and ask for some things that you need.  Let me share one of my situations. My car needed a huge repair. (We are on the same page aren’t we!) I didn’t have the money.  After the repair was done the bill was double the amount they had quoted me.  I had no funds to pay for it.  My parents had graciously given as much as they could, but I was in a pickle.  It was time to trust God.

Testing, testing, 1, 2, 3…

God answered. Not in the way I wanted because I would rather have had cash fall like raindrops from heaven.  However, God supplied.  He gave me a part-time job four nights a week, right by my house.  I drove home from my day job, changed into my next work clothes (it involved a hairnet-yuck!), made sure supper was prepared for my girls, and worked for 3 hours each night.

I paid off my bill and met a lot of interesting people.  Was I tired? You bet… but I did it.  I asked for help and God gave me this job.  I didn’t have it forever and I was able to reduce my hours as things got paid off.  I just had to trust God that He would help.

Trusting is hard work and I need to upgrade my trusting skills frequently.  God just asks us to trust Him and He will help. My faith grew because I trusted in God during those times when there seemed to be no solution to my predicament.

Are facing one of these issues today?  We have two gift-wrapped boxes from God – hope and trust.  He asks you to open them up and use them. Write out what you hope for.   It could be anything – healing your heart, pursing another job, a week free of constant stress, or a dream of a mini holiday with your kids. Can I share another story?

We were as poor as church mice.  Deep in my heart I wanted to take my girls on a holiday.   A caring couple gave us their condo in Florida to use for free.  We just had to get there.  My heart still bursts with the memories we made on that trip.   Don’t give up but hope.  As it says in the verse above, God will help your discouraged heart.  I can honestly say this will be one exciting journey. Live in HOPE.

What about your trusting skills?  This is a huge action verb!  Write down what you desire to trust God for and date it.  Like me, I am sure you have had to trust about employment, the monthly rent, the kid’s schedules and their emotional health.  You are not alone. Write it all down.

Father, we need HOPE to get through this.  We desperately want to TRUST You in our next steps.  Guide us in your ways.  In our Ever-Faithful God.  Amen.

There is HELP, there is HOPE, there is HEALING!

Don’t miss the rest of the Single Mom Survival Kit:

A box of resources
How to set boundaries
The monster called FEAR

Take the next step:

Why do bad things happen to good people? Is God still good when it hurts?
Take a lesson: How to choose peace
 If your world feels unfamiliar, read this

If you need prayer, we would like to pray with you.

“They all met together continually for prayer.” Mark uses the same Greek word here translated “continually” to describe a boat floating in the water, waiting on Jesus. The Master, speaking on the beach of Galilee, told the disciples to have a boat ready and waiting (Mark 3:9). The boat was “continually” in the presence of Christ. So are the Upper Room disciples. One day passes. Then two. Then a week. For all they know a hundred more will come and go. But they aren’t leaving. They persist in the presence of Christ.

The followers were willing to do one thing: wait in the right place for power.

We’re so reluctant to do what they did. Who has time to wait? We groan at such a thought. But waiting doesn’t mean inactivity—rather inHIMactivity. Waiting means watching for him. If you are waiting on a bus, you are watching for the bus. If you are waiting on God, you are watching for God, searching for God, hoping in God. Great promises come to those who do. “But those who wait on the LORD will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint” (Isa. 40:31).

To those who still struggle, God says, “Wait on me.” And wait in the right place. Jesus doesn’t tell us to stay in Jerusalem, but he does tell us to stay honest, stay faithful, stay true.

Desire power for your life?

It will come as you pray. For ten days the disciples prayed. Ten days of prayer plus a few minutes of preaching led to three thousand saved souls. Perhaps we invert the numbers. We’re prone to pray for a few minutes and preach for ten days. Not the apostles. Like the boat waiting for Christ, they lingered in his presence. They never left the place of prayer.

Question: Do you pray only for the “big things”? Do you think God cares about the “small things” too?

If you need encouragement during difficult times, someone is always here to pray with you!

The summer between my 3rd and 4th year of university I worked at Yellowstone National Park. It was a great summer, full of adventures and new experiences.

On a day off, I had signed up for a day long class in rock climbing. I was successfully making my way up the side of a mountain when the instructor surprised me with an unexpected challenge, when he said, “I want you to push yourself off and fall on the rope!” Questioning why he would ask me to do this, I hesitated, and he wisely pointed out that, “You will never be a good rock climber until you can trust that the rope will hold you. Push yourself off and fall on the rope.”

I was afraid.  Obviously, my trust was in my ability to use my hands and feet to scale the mountain.  The rope was a secondary source of security, in case I slipped (which I did not plan to do!). I eventually did let go of my hand holds, and I’m here to tell you that the rope held!

There are times when God seems to say the same thing to me as my instructor did that day. “Take the step, release your hands on what you are holding and see that I’m trustworthy.” The writer of the Psalms wrote, “O taste and see that the LORD is good; how blessed is the person who takes refuge in Him!” Psalm 34:8

Just as I would never be a good rock climber without experiencing that the rope will hold. The same is true of my spiritual life. I will never be a responsive Christ follower if I am unwilling to let go of whatever I am grasping when God says, “Let go, trust me.”

Are you willing to let go of the things that give you security? We can only experience God’s goodness when we take those, sometimes scary steps that take faith. Do you trust God is able to hold you securely when you let go of the things that provide comfort or security? What step is God asking you to take? Could it be he is asking you to let go of a relationship, finances or a position … A thought that comforts me is God holds the universe together it is likely He can provide all I need to hold life together … Enjoy the adventure!

Father God, Help me today to truly trust You and to let go of the things I have been putting my trust in. You alone are able to hold me securely! Thank you.

Questions: What step is God asking you to take today? What are the things we look to, other than God, for our security?

Have you ever contemplated the homelessness of Jesus?

“Jesus replied, ‘Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.’” (Matthew 8:20)

This is more than just a metaphorical picture. Jesus didn’t have a home. The Bible doesn’t mention Him owning anything. In the midst of recording Jesus’ teaching, Luke casually mentions that Jesus spent each night on the Mount of Olives, the hill outside Jerusalem.

Though the gospel writers give little attention to this fact, we dare not romanticize it. Surely Jesus did experience beautiful evenings in the olive grove, away from the crowds, with the stars shining overhead. But other nights it rained or even snowed. Sometimes cold winds blew. Jesus endured hard ground, darkness and loneliness.

How does Jesus’ homelessness impact us? Though not a command that we must follow, it does require us to pause and think. Too often the desire for comfort drives me. Luxury and convenience become needs rather than wants. Material possessions clutter my focus and prevent me from seeking God. I stress about many things. Jesus owned nothing, yet He didn’t worry about His next meal. He trusted God for everything He needed.

I also need to consider my attitudes toward others. Though Jesus likely trained as a carpenter, during the three years of His ministry He didn’t work to provide for Himself or for His mother. Did people look at Him and say, “Get a job”? Jesus can help me see differently, because He knows what it’s like to be homeless.

Holy God, open my eyes to what you want to teach me through these verses. I want to trust You and not worry, to seek You instead of my own comfort, to see every person through Your eyes. Amen

Questions: Does knowing Jesus was homeless change your perspective toward the homeless in your city? What is God nudging you to change as you consider Jesus’ homelessness?

“For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all of God’s people, which come from your confident hope of what God has reserved for you in heaven. You have had this expectation ever since you first heard the truth of the Good News.”  (Colossians 1:4-5, NLT)

What kind of reader are you?  Are you one who likes to read the ending before you start the book?  Or are you a reader that never reads the ending of a story first?

I confess that I’m the kind of reader who never reads the end of the book.  I love to be kept in suspense throughout and to have my mind racing all over the place trying to figure out the end. However, I also love to read books over and over, especially the ones that are my true treasures.  And I still enjoy them even though I know the end of the story.  Reading them is like sitting down with a dear friend that I haven’t seen for a while and getting reacquainted.

In her blog “Educating Alice,” Monica Edinger confesses that she reads the ending first.  She shares that when reading a series of books where she has gotten to know and care about the characters that she needs to read the ending.  Look at her reasoning, “I knew as I began reading that I needed that worry set at rest so I could get into the book to enjoy the adventure, to find out how they made it safely to the end.”

She also gives another reason why she might read the ending first, “I might find it slow going and rather than immediately quitting, I might check further along to see if something there made it worth continuing.”

Just like a reader who reads the ending of a book first, we, as followers of Jesus Christ, know our ending – we will one day see Jesus face to face! 

But why don’t many of us live like we know our ending? Monica says that once she knows the ending she’s able to set her worry at rest and enjoy the adventure.  Shouldn’t that be the case for us as believers?  Shouldn’t we give our worries and fears to God and enjoy the journey God has set us on?  Shouldn’t the hope we have be a light to the world?  Shouldn’t our lives radiate our faith?

Look at what Paul says about the Christians in Colossae, “For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all of God’s people, which come from your confident hope of what God has reserved for you in heaven. You have had this expectation ever since you first heard the truth of the Good News.”  (Colossians 1:4-5, NLT)

They KNEW their ending and it allowed them to live freely, enjoying the adventure.  Was it easy for them?  No!  But their HOPE was in the future and it kept them from quitting or getting discouraged. Let us live like the Colossians with CONFIDENT HOPE because we too, know our ending!

Question: Can you place full trust in our Lord today and let Him take care of your worries?

Take the next step:
Going through tough moments in marriage
Has your trust been broken?
Are you struggling in your marriage? Talk to a mentor

Return to Healing for the Brokenhearted Index Page

Take the next step:
Going through tough moments in marriage
Has your trust been broken?
Are you struggling in your marriage? Talk to a mentor

Return to Healing for the Brokenhearted Index Page

Take the next step:
Going through tough moments in marriage
Has your trust been broken?
Are you struggling in your marriage? Talk to a mentor

Return to Healing for the Brokenhearted Index Page

1. Coping with Unfaithfulness
2. Supporting the Brokenhearted
3. Re-building Trust
4. Picking up the Pieces
5. Allowing Time to Heal
6. Taking Responsibility
7. Supportive Friends
8. Building a Support Network
9. Making Decisions
10. Finding Hope and Healing
11. Couples in Crisis

“How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog–it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.” (James 4:14, NLT)

We all want to know we are on the right path for our lives. We’d prefer clear directions along the way and “atta girl” billboards as reassurance. But so often we find ourselves creeping down the road in a dense fog, unable to see what lies ahead.  That is because all our eyes can see is today, and in the rearview mirror, parts of yesterday. But our Heavenly Father sees the whole path of our lives in the perspective of not just what we need now but what we will need tomorrow.

The Psalms tell us His Word is a “lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path”, but that light often shines over just one footstep at a time. Perhaps God purposely clouds our vision so we will trust Him? On occasion, in His gracious mercy, our LORD will lift the fog enough for us to look back and see where our life’s path has led, and what detours were avoided. We may also get a glimpse of where we are headed. But as soon as we are tempted to drop His hand and skip down the lane, the fog returns. When it begins to lift once more, we will see He is taking us in a direction we could never have fathomed.

Do we trust in that?  Perhaps the direction we are headed needs to be veiled for our own good. Maybe we are to stand still for a minute or two and be still so we can focus solely on Him.  Maybe, danger is just off to the left, or straight ahead, and He is protecting us.  Could it be that something way too tempting is there and the fog is there to keep us from running willy-nilly towards it?

If you are in a fog and wondering what God has planned for your life, that’s okay. His love has enveloped you for a reason. You have His attention. Give Him yours.

Heavenly Father, so often we want to see into the future. But today is all you give us. Let us be content to only see what You would have us gaze upon, be it inches in front of our face, or out at the horizon, knowing that at the end of this path lies eternal light. May we look forward to that peaceful rest in your everlasting presence. Amen.

Questions: Do you feel fogged in right now? Will you panic, grope your way through it, or stand still and wait on God?