hope

And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts, by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. Romans 5:5

I keep running into this verse.  It came on a Christmas card a few weeks ago.  A friend handed it to me on a little note last week.  And I just came across it again while reading through a Christian parenting magazine.

It's a awesome piece of scripture.  Awesome and powerful. 

Because it reminds us who our Hope is in and therefore why, no matter what our current situation involves, we can live, joyfully and victoriously.  With Hope.

Hope in Jesus does not disappoint.

He is here.

Always.

His plans are perfect for our lives and for the lives of those we love.

All we have to do is trust in Him.

Living in such a broken world it is so easy to lose hope, to assume the worst, to expect disaster.

But God's word tells us otherwise.

God has blessed us with the Holy Spirit to comfort and encourage us.  To keep Hope alive in our hearts. 

May the hope, love, peace and joy of Jesus' sweet presence fill you and complete you today.

simple truths

"No one wants to be my friend."  my 5 year old daughter announced at the dinner table last night.  I could hear the pain in her voice as she went on to explain what some of the kids had been saying to her at school. 
I've been there before. Haven't we all? Kids can be mean (hey adults can too!).  Learning how to deal with different people and difficult situations is a huge part of attending school.
Still it breaks a mother's heart to hear her child being called "silly", "annoying" and told she's not wanted in "the group."
I put down my fork and pulled Carys onto my lap.
As her tears flowed, I whispered; "Honey you are not those things.  You are beautiful and kind and funny and smart and you can always be in my club."
She settled down, climbed off my lap and headed away to her room to play.
Our conversation got me thinking about how everyday we come against situations or people that can cause us to question who we are and what we are worth.
What my daughter is going through right now in Kindergarten is a battle most of us will face, if not daily, then at some point during the rest of our life.
As I was cleaning up the dishes, I started thinking about a book by Beth Moore that I read several years ago.  It's called "Believing God".  In it, Moore reminds us who we are as a child of God.  No matter what the world tells us.  No matter what we may "feel" at a given time.  These truths do not change.

We are loved.

We are chosen.

We are adopted.

We are blessed.

We are forgiven.

And we are redeemed.

I pray that I would remember this; for myself and for others.  Thank you Jesus for your sweet, precious love.

Who are my Ninevites?

I always thought the story about Jonah  and the whale was about just that- Jonah and the whale.
Well yesterday I learned that the story about Jonah refusing to go to Nineveh and God rescuing him in the whale is about so much more.  It is actually a story about God's incredible, never ending love for people.  All people.  Especially those that are far away from Him.
If you're familiar with this story, you know that, Jonah didn't want to go to Nineveh because he ultimately didn't like those people and was afraid that if he prophesied in that city, the people would repent and God would forgive them. 
Jonah!  That's awful!  How could you not want someone to receive God's forgiveness and mercy.
Oh wait.
Maybe I should ask myself that same question.
Maybe I should take a moment and see if there are any Ninevites in my life?
The people that continually hurt me or disappoint.  The people that are just, well, difficult to be around.  The people that do things that stir up my condemnation.
The people, to be completely honest, I believe deserve God's judgement more than His grace.
I'm embarrassed to admit this, but I have a few.
And while God hasn't sent a whale to stop me from looking the other way, I know that I need to make a radical change in my heart and attitude towards these people.
I need to stop judging and start praying for them.
I need to stop licking my wounds and start trying to heal theirs.
I need to stop asking God to help me and start looking for ways that I can help them.
Most of all I need to thank God for the love, mercies, grace and blessings that He gives me daily and I need to ask Him to do the same for them.