Hope

I read this today after talking with a friend who is going through a tough time right now. What an encouragement this is - to be reminded that God is in control and that He loves us!

"Hope is a beautiful thing. Like a flower that thrives on sunlight and water, hope relies on the daily sustenance of the Word of God, of prayer and of experience shared with others who have received the gift. Hope is an elusive bird to those who have no relationship with God or reservation in eternity. Hope requires more than simply clicking red shoes or crossing our fingers. It is a sweet and magnigicent benefit of walking with Christ. Hope looks at all that is true about the present, lifts the circumstances of life into the tender, loving hands of God – and exhales in trust. Hope makes it possible to live with our feet firmly planted on earth while our hearts and minds are committed to a vision of life that is far bigger than we are.

"A new year is like the fresh crisp page of an untouched journal. We lift our pen to the first day. This year will hold unexpected joys and sorrows, moments of faith and fear, wished fulfilled and dreams abandoned. There is much we do not know. But there is much we do know with absolute assurance. We know that God is in control and that his heart is good and merciful toward us. We know that we are not alone. We know that everything happens in our lives and in the lives of those we love has already passed through our Father’s hands. And we know that we are loved." --Sheila Walsh