Rediscovering Hope Through the Lens of Suffering
Are you someone who struggles to say no?
Do you have a tendency to allow the demands of others override the things that YOU are called to do?
If so, let me offer you an anecdote that will set you free to say NO to that which was intended to distract you, and say YES to God’s best FOR you!
There is no need to sugarcoat it. Let’s just call it what it was. HARD. This week was hard.
Grief ripped its way through our house like a tidal wave. It was Unexpected. And uninvited. But then grief is like that isn’t it?
Sometimes It creeps in announced, like a riptide that snatches you off guard and steals you out to shore. Other times, it’s like a tsunami that crashes over you, touching everything within a 10 mile radius.
Either way, it’s force threatens to take you under.
I know, I know. It’s hard to choose only one! But if you had to pick your favorite Bible verse, what would it be? What makes this particular verse so meaningful?
Let’s have a little fun today, and get to know one another a little more! Share with us your top verse below. Don’t forget to tell us why it’s your favorite. I’ll go first!
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Guest Post by Julie Loos
So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn’t hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn’t gladly and freely do for us? And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God’s chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us—who was raised to life for us!—is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us. Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ’s love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture:
They kill us in cold blood because they hate you.
We’re sitting ducks; they pick us off one by one.
None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us. (Romans 8:31-39) MSG
A few months ago, I signed up to write this post. I was a little nervous to put my name next to this topic, but as the weeks have gone by, I’ve become more afraid to write about this. You see this topic is becoming more and more pertinent lately. I wanted to write from the heart and not get it wrong.
I mean, it’s a topic near and dear to my heart because my family’s life has been affected by suicide.
If I’m honest with you, it hasn’t been easy, and my husband and I have struggled with what others have told us and what the truth is in God’s Word when it comes to suicide.
About 7 1/2 years ago, my husband’s best friend (who was his uncle) committed suicide. To say it was a shock is a huge understatement. Looking back, my husband noticed a few signs amiss, but would have never thought his uncle would take his life.
The days and weeks following his death were full of questions.
Guest Post by Maree Dee
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” – Jeremiah 29:11
Have you ever had your hopes and dreams shattered into a million pieces? Has the life you used to live become a distant memory and the present day full of tremendous pain? Do you look to the future, and all you see is darkness and the unknown?
I found myself in this place when my child first began exhibiting signs of mental illness. Not only were my plans changed but the expectations of the life she wanted began evaporating before her eyes.
How does one find hope when dreams are shattered?
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