Hope
When times are hard in your life and there seems to be trouble all around, please do not lose hope. It is so easy to feel as if all hope is gone and to allow that hopeless feeling to rush in, but please … hold on, my dear friend. Help is on the way. God has given us faith, hope, and love. He said it in His word. Cling to it! Use your faith in God above to pull you through each and every situation that attempts to steal your joy and peace. Hold on to hope in those trying times and know that God is not going to leave you nor forsake you. He is right there with you although He may seem silent at times. Just keep holding on. His love will see you through!
He did not promise that you would not have heartaches in this life. Oh, how we all wish it could be smooth sailing ALL of the time, but that just cannot be. There is sin in the world, and due to this, there is a tremendous amount of suffering. Bad things happen to good people. It’s a heartbreaking reality.
I know of a sweet lady that would do anything for anybody that is suffering with cancer at this moment in time. It is literally eating away at her, and yet, she is full of hope … and she has faith … why? Because of God’s love! She is suffering and yet puts on this strong face for us all. She speaks so matter-of-factly about what is taking place, and she puts plans in place for beating this thing! She has faith, and she’s full of hope! WE are full of hope WITH her. We know that, if it is God’s will, a miracle can happen to turn this thing completely around. It CAN happen! We are clinging to hope at this time especially and ask God to comfort this sweet lady as only He can.
If this woman can hold on to her faith and still have hope as she’s relying on God’s love as she’s fighting cancer … what, exactly, is our problem? If she’s staring this in the face and still continuing to march full speed ahead, what is our excuse?
We have SO much to be thankful for and yet we take so much for granted. Stop right now and thank God for ALL of the many blessings in your life. They are there, dear ones. Recognize them, even in the face of trouble. Thank Him and praise Him for how He is working in each one of our lives.
In times of trouble, think of this woman that is suffering and yet remains hopeful. Then realize that your situation is not hopeless either. Keep fighting the good fight. You CAN do this.
Please … don’t ever lose hope. No matter what comes your way, remain hopeful, lean on God’s great love, and keep the faith!
This post was inspired by the prompt word of Hope for Tuesday At Ten. Link up your post here.
Strangers
Yesterday I ran into someone from my past. It should have been a wonderful reunion, and yet, it was awkward. It saddened me greatly to think of what could have been, what should have been, and yet what currently … is.
What hurts is that this person has been kept from us the majority of her life. The individual that I speak of is my sister’s daughter. My niece. If you’ve visited with us before, you know that we lost my sister 13 years ago to suicide. She took her own life two weeks after having her daughter. We were devastated by my sister’s passing. Then we were further devastated when her only child was taken from us. We were not allowed access to her because my sister’s husband decided that his parents should be the caregivers of their daughter. We were only allowed a few short weekends with her, and she was taken from us again. This broke our hearts completely. Then after several more years passed, they wanted to allow us into this little girl’s life once more. We did everything we could to be there for this little girl, and yet again, she was taken from us. I don’t know if they felt threatened or what exactly went through their minds at that point for them to take her away from us again. That is exactly what they did, though. This time, however, I did not react the same way that I had in years past. I did not chase after them, nor did I beg for them to allow us to see my sister’s daughter. I prayed, I cried, I fell on my face before Jesus, and yet it still did not change the situation we were all in. I had to deal with not only losing my sister but her daughter as well. That is the sad reality of the situation. Although my niece is still here on this earth, we are not allowed access to her … so we have lost her, too.
A year or so ago, my daughter found my niece on Facebook. We all sent a friend request, and much to our surprise, it was accepted. However, if I would send her a message or write on her wall, it would be ignored so I finally stopped trying. She would only respond to my oldest daughter, then she stopped with that as well.
Yesterday we were in the store when she came over to my daughter and slapped her on her arm. My daughter turned around and was excited to see her … yet there was this awkwardness that lingered. My daughter quickly came down the aisle saying, “Look who I found …” and upon seeing her, my eyes lit up and a smile spread wide across my lips as I said, “Hey there, darling … ” only to be greeted with steel cold eyes and not a single expression on this little girl’s face. None. I stood cemented in my place as the reality slammed into me. I … don’t … know … her … anymore. We’re strangers.
My daughter tried to say a few words, and I tried once more asking if she was there alone or with someone. Her response was still cold as ice as she said, “I’m here with the old man.” She meant the grandfather that had instigated her isolation from our family. I just stood there again, only this time, feeling my heart almost leaving my chest the same as it did on occasions in the past when she was slipping from me. The reality is, she’s already gone. She is a stranger to me now … and although I have tried to be involved in her life all of those years – 13 years of trying – the harsh reality is that I’m NOT a part of her life … and probably never will be.
It’s sad thinking of how it COULD be … how it SHOULD be … how it WOULD be if only my sister had reached out to someone, anyone that hot July day and let us help her through what she was feeling. I imagine that our lives would be so much different … if only …
It breaks my heart … and yet all I can do is turn to God once more for comfort and for Him to restore peace.
And … He will.
Let Him In
You softly speak trying to hide the tears; yet they run like a waterfall through your words. You feel lost. You feel alone. You feel bound to a fate that locks you within a cage with no hope of escape. No matter how much you smile for the outside world, I can feel the true sadness within your heart.
As I sit and listen as you pour out your heart and soul my heart dies a little with each and every word. I cannot begin to know first-hand the pain you are feeling; but I feel a deep sadness within myself knowing that you are going through this difficult time. I want to reach out to you and take away all the hurt, the sadness, the pain; yet I cannot. I can only give you an ear that listens and a heart that longs to help bring you happiness.
It is not only I that feels your pain, he does too. He is there in your heart feeling all that you feel; knowing all the hurt that wraps around you. He is there to comfort you if you let him in. He is there for you at all times when others cannot be. He grieves with you and he will comfort you. He loves you. Let him in.
