My sister recently posted about her word for 2012…and it got me thinking. For the past few months I have associated many words and descriptions for this year...
Words like Panic. Deployment. Fear. Dread. Countdown. Alone.
These words have been trapped in my mind, tossed about and thrown into focus at any random moment. They have kept me from resting in His presence and being joyful in the time that I have. But no more.
New Year’s came and went, and I realized that I didn’t fall apart. That the earth didn’t shatter beneath my feet and the waves didn’t swallow me up. Neither did it change anything- those words are still there… but I’m still standing. And I’ve discovered a new word. An unexpected revelation for this year.
Hopeful.
Hopeful doesn’t mean no tears. It doesn’t mean my countdown reversed. It doesn’t mean that I am not fearful. And it doesn’t mean that I have a tingly excitement of something new. However, this is what it DOES mean:
Hopeful means that Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow and 3 months from now, My Lord is the same.
Hopeful means new opportunities and advancement for the Kingdom.
Hopeful means that I am never truly alone. Because He knows where I am. In the day and
during the night.
Hopeful is the promise of what is to come… the truth He has a prosperous and successful future for me.
Hopeful is knowing that “neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord”.
HOPEFUL means that these other words can’t control me any longer. Because you can’t hope in the Lord and be chained to the devil.
Will you be hopeful with me?
Whatever your situation is, whether you awake with dread each day or feel like you’re stuck in a pit of despair… or can’t see through the glass clearly and fear what lies ahead…
Will you chose to be hopeful?
And if you’re caught in a moment where you aren’t sure you have it in you, look UP. There’s always hope when you look up…
