I hear the story once of a young boy who had cancer. Someone came to pick him up often to go and get chemotherapy. The person driving soon noticed how happy the boy was. Intrigued, the driver asked him, "Why are you so happy. Don't you know you are dying." The boy responded, "If I live like I am dying, that's like dying twice!"
Waw....
That is quite a remarkable statement coming from a very young lad whose life has barely began and yet it is being robbed by cancer and yet he is still able to smile!
It reminds me of what Marian Zimmer Bradley once said "The road that is built in hope is more pleasant to the traveler than the road built in despair, even though they both lead to the same destination"
"Take hope from the heart of man and you make him a beast of prey" Quida.
And Christopher Reeves once said "Once you choose Hope, anything is possible"
In modern times, we consider hope to be so intrinsic to our existence. It's what gets many of us through our worst days. Lingering unemployment, family troubles, marital problems, foreclosures, dwindling retirement funds, businesses folding -- any of these could make a person lose hope.
And,...
"The sudden disappointment of hope leaves a scar which the ultimate fulfilment of that hope never entirely removes" Thomas Hardy
Fortunately, "What is important to remember is that life is not meant to be easy. Life is a trial of sorts. Since life is a 'test', it is meant to really make things difficult for us, confuse us, and make us feel discouraged. This is all part of living life and learning. It is normal to feel alone, afraid, or to get hurt. The important thing is to learn quickly and to be optimistic about what we face. Not everything is as it seems. Bad times pass and so do good ones. Life has its ups and downs and that is what helps us appreciate more the things that are good"
I'm a realist, but I'm also an optimist. And while hope and optimism are not exactly the same, they are intrinsically linked.
For example, I am optimistic that no matter what your background or disposition in life is, you will eventually make it in life, and I am hopeful that we can learn lasting lessons from the mistakes, choices and decisions we make in life. But I can't just wait and hope. I have to help things happen - Take Action.
My optimism and hope are based on my knowledge and ongoing understanding of my 'relationship' with God through Jesus Christ.
When I look back and consider how far I have come and what I believe God has done in me and through me, I can't help but truly be thankful. Hopefully, you will be able to identify with the same in your life as well.
In all honesty, this gives me a sense of optimism and hope no matter what happens in life.
I thank God for:
Salvation, good health, a sound mind, His mercy, Love, Blessings, protection, Favour, Peace, the Holy Spirit, the Bible, His creation, His forgiveness, and Life.
Many of us would be able to identify that God is really good regardless of the trials and tribulations we go through in life and despite His 'apparent' lack of concern (so we say) for our situation or circumstances sometimes.
The biggest lie that the enemy can bring to you especially when you are faced with challenges is the lie that; 'God really doesn't Care' and this lie can cause you to loose the battle before it even really begins.
By the grace of God, allow me remind us of God's faithfulness and love toward us and I hope these will inspire optimism and Hope in you to face challenges that come your way because, like it or not; they will come and it doesn't matter whether you are rich or poor, challenges are no respecters of persons.
That said, let's be reminded that,....
As a child of God;
God has come and taken residence in your heart; you have the Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy immortal living on the inside of you. His Kingdom has come and His will shall be done in your life. He is so mindful of you and has chosen you to be a partaker of His divine nature.
He will enlarge your territory and bless you indeed.
He loves you with an everlasting, unconditional and non judgemental Love, and has blessed you with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. He cuts off your enemies and defeats those who afflict your soul.
He has given you wisdom, understanding, patience and a desire for Him. He watches over you and has strengthened you with might by the Holy ghost in your inner man.
You are strong and courageous with excellent qualities.
God has promised to teach you and instruct you in the way that you should go and to guide you with His eye, He turns away your eyes from beholding vanity and quickens you in His ways.
He has delivered you from the power of satan and has given you everlasting life. He has been gracious and compassionate towards you because His mercy is new every morning and endures forever.
God has protected you from the schemes and plans of the evil one over your life. He has promised never to leave you nor forsake you and He is faithful to His word and moreover, he has given you a spirit of power, Love and a sound mind. You are complete in Him.
God has provided for you even in your darkest hour, He has shown Himself strong on your behalf. Whenever you have been between 'a rock and a hard place' His faithfulness has never failed you.
He has given you courage and strength to patiently endure all that befalls you and never distancing Himself from you at any moment just in case you need help.
God orders your steps, directs your thoughts, actions and speech. Whenever you become negligent and fall, He lifts you up, gives you an opportunity for a fresh start. He gives you the strength to rise up again and again and again. He never gives up on you.
He holds no record of wrongs, he has forgiven you of all your sins and cleansed you from all unrighteousness and He has set you upon a rock.
He has lit your candle and enlightened your darkness, His hand is upon you, He keeps you from evil that it may not grieve you.
God has truly done a lot more than I have said above and He is yet even able to do exceedingly, abundantly above and beyond what you can imagine or think according to the power that is at work in you. For that, I am sure.
And what God has done in the past, He is infinitely able to do it again and again in more and more special ways.
And that is why it is not only right but also our duty to trust and put our HOPE in God.
One should love every man from the soul but one should place one's HOPE only in God and serve Him with all one's strength. As for long as He protects us against harm, all our friends treat us with respect and all our enemies( principalities, powers of darkness, evil spirits) are powerless to injure us. But once He abandons us, all our friends turn a way from us while all our enemies prevail against us.
“A Desire becomes a Hope when we discover a reason for its expectation, and there is no better reason to expect something than a promise given in the Word of God.”
Hope for the best and then trust God to help you make it happen.
Peace & Love
Libs
