Everything seems to be bursting with life these days: fragrant lilacs, strong oak leaves, delicate baby birds in their nests, and my friends’ bellies as their babies grow within.
The winter is over and spring is in full swing. Yet for some, things looks grim. Some are discouraged as they keep waiting with no end in sight. Others feel small, almost invisible in contrast to the loud and showy crowds.
But tucked within, deep inside that heart of yours that He formed, He has planted the seed of something powerful.
Dig a little deeper, beneath the surface and see. It might be covered in dirt in the wake of rubble and ruins but it is present, not dulling with age. Even when you feel you’ve lost it, look for it, like buried treasure; it’s waiting to be discovered and held close.
It might be camouflaged—masked by hedges and shrubs, but hope is present. Its roots grow as you cut off the lies that choke life and fertilize with truth that gives life.
Yes, I declare, there is hopeful news for your hurts.
Look up instead of down and find it resting above, secure. Lasting hope is found in God.
Hope rises and you are changed because of what it brings to the mundane, how it sustains through the muck.
Hope can make all the difference between giving up and hanging on.
Read the rest of this post over on Kelly Balarie’s Purposeful Faith blog…
P.S. The winner of the Mercy House Prayer Bracelet is…..Becca B! Congrats! Thank you to everyone who entered. Head over to Mercy House to purchase Fair Trade Products and make a difference in the lives of women around the globe.
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My Son Has Two Mothers (as seen on Huff Post)
4 Ways False Assumptions Imprison You, and How to Be Free (featured on Crosswalk)
Derest Katie…Christ used every single word of yours today to minister to me as a Compassionate Healer..He delivered your words specifically and I have had such a gracious outpouring of necessary First-Aid through your words…giving me His ointment and fragrant healing balm…His word gift of HOPE in the “unraveling despair”…as I am travelling in the unraveling, I was just quietly contemplating how I would cope today.
You ARE His Chosen…the “COPE in the HOPE” for me. Thank you.
I started repeating your words out to Him. I didn’t know the words to say but the Spirit gave me them…all of your words. Every last letter and period!
He gave me glimpse and glance at your beautiful.words…leading me to speak them to Him personally and I have wept in His Sweet Compassionate embrace.
A “relief release” of sorrow that leads to HOPE.
Thank.you. So grateful…for HOPE in the “unravelling”.
I will.keep reading the words back to Him often. Thank you, Katie, for your beautiful rendering and perspective on HOPE.
May the “God of Hope fill Katie and her family and loved ones with ALL [abundant] joy and peace in believing, that she [they] may abound in HOPE through the Power of the Holy Spirit.”
Sincere thanks. Janine
To God be the glory, Janine! 🙂 Thank you for your kind words. Hope you have a great weekend!
Dear Katie,
Thanks for your post today. It encouraged me and I was blessed by it. We all need each other to keep going….this life can be hard, but God is always good and we have a “living hope” that is an “anchor for our souls!”