Hope Floats

I don’t know about you, but there are a lot of interruptions that happen in my daily life.

As women, we tend to be planners and executers. We have ideas, expectations and plans about our lives and the lives of others. Much of the tension, stress, worries, anxious thoughts and depression comes from being disappointed by these interruptions. Some of them are low-impact while others change our lives forever.

• News that your car is going to require extra repairs.
• Realizing the affairs of our country and world are much bleaker than you wanted to believe.
• The aging parent who has suddenly gone from independence to total dependence on you.
• The finances that were looking so good last month grinding to a halt as you find yourself jobless.
• Finding out you did not get into the college of your dreams.
• A broken relationship.
• Having a routine doctor’s appointment and getting that message on your VM that you have an abnormal test and need to come back.
• Getting that unexpected late night call from your teenager who has made some really bad choices.
• A friendship interrupted by conflict leaving you wondering if resolution is even an option
• News that a loved one or friend has passed away.
• Or _________________________.

No one plans for any of these things and yet we put so much stock and expectation in our ability to control and manage these unwanted interruptions. God, in His grace and patience, lets us have our way in how we respond to them. But HE will always have HIS way in how He orchestrates those interruptions so that we can experience HIM!

For many Christians, it’s easy to say we’re trusting God with our lives when faced with the unexpected, but our actions reveal that we are continually working to deliver ourselves. We still want to be in control. Our prayer life becomes a place where we are telling God the game plan instead of listening to His plans and purposes for our lives. Our days are marked by anxious thoughts, worry, unrealistic expectations on ourselves and others, and self-centeredness.  And even our physical health takes a toll. If this is a place you find yourself today in, my honest question is: How's that working out for you?

For me, not so good!

May I encourage some of you who are disappointed by how your life has turned out or where you find yourself in this season of life? God in His grace allows us to experience all the imperfections- the insufficiencies of the things we place hope in -until we come to a deeper understanding that He alone is all we need. One of the greatest set ups of our lives is thinking that what we hope for in people, our circumstances, ourselves and the world we live in, will ever be able to meet all our needs and make us fully satisfied. 

Remember...

We must fight to make God the answer to our hopelessness.

He is the only one who can deliver us from those areas in our life that rob us of Hope. We will sink and take people with us, if our hope is anchored to anything or anyone else apart from Christ.

Hope in Christ gives us assurance that we can stay afloat in this crazy journey on this side of eternity.

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How do we maintain a lifestyle filled with hope? The simple answer is this:

• Shift your attention and focus off of people and the things you are disappointed by and ask God to give you an attitude of gratitude.
• Ask God to help you see your life from His point of view. (open up your Bible if you need reminders)
• Is there an opportunity to serve someone around you? A smile, a coffee, an encouraging text, help with childcare, a financial gift? 
• Invite a few close friends to pray for you. Specifically, that you would draw close to God during this time. Pray for patience and strength for God to work all these interruptions out for good for your life.

The way to stay afloat has nothing to do with those unwanted interruptions, and everything to do with how anchored we are to Jesus.

It's His job to keep us afloat and our job to remember He can do that for us and that He is all we need.

““And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.””

— Romans 5:5

Faith-in-Training

Recently, I was driving around town and found myself behind an extremely slow-moving minivan. Suddenly, it stopped at a green light in a right turn lane, then forgot to signal and advanced into the other lane, almost hitting the divider. My impatience got the best of me as I pulled up alongside the vehicle to catch a glimpse of the errant driver.

“Do I need to dial 911 and get some assistance on the road? This person is clueless, distracted and probably texting while driving”, I thought nervously while I passed judgment.

Finally, both of our cars pulled up to a red light and I casually craned my neck to investigate, my face set with a firm look of disapproval that was sure to set them straight! To my surprise, it was a sheepish and sweet-faced 15 ½ year old boy with his mother sitting next to him in the passenger seat. Her hand was gripping the handle above the passenger door, (You know that handle for those of you who have teenage drivers) while he looked every bit like a deer in the headlights.

My demeanor completely changed in an instant.

“Ohhhh, he’s a driver-in-training… That totally makes sense! I remember those days… Been there done that”, I murmured to myself.

It’s interesting how quickly my response towards the driver changed, once I understood the full picture and was able to see the road from his vantage point and not mine.

I thought about this experience and the people in our lives who drive us crazy with the way they navigate through life. We don’t agree with their decisions, or the way they’ve responded to whatever circumstances or challenges they’ve been facing. It’s easy to pull up from behind and tailgate them from a place of pride and self-righteousness, instead of grace and understanding.

Do you have people like this in your life? You see them making decisions that you don't agree with. Or you watch them respond to challenges they may be experiencing from a place of incessant worry, fear, deep insecurity and even anger. Maybe you don’t agree with or approve of where they are in their faith journey and think they should be "further along" or "more mature" in their faith. Do you find yourself impatient with their “faith-in-training” process?

Proverbs 14:29 reminds us:

“Whoever is patient has great understanding, but one who is quick-tempered displays folly.”

When we come alongside people and see the road from their viewpoint, suddenly things make sense to us and it’s much easier to be gracious and patient with them. 

Things come into focus and we begin to understand the WHY behind what they’re doing, in a way that not only makes sense but helps us to grow in compassion towards them. I have learned that there is always a back story to what you might see on the front page of someone's life.

 

A few things to think about:

• Consider the many people where you or I have tested their patience, annoyed and driven them crazy with the way we navigate our challenges and decisions. The grace we extend always come back to us when we need it as well.
• Can you remember a time when you found yourself navigating obstacles in your life in a similar way? If so, take a minute to thank God for how far you have come along!
• Have you taken time to come alongside others in a way that gives you greater understanding and insight on how to love, pray and support them during their faith-in-training process?
• God uses challenging people for OUR faith-in-training process. Consider the unloving qualities that are revealed in us when we judge a person without first seeking Christ’s perspective: self-righteousness, impatience, anger and pride. God uses these relationships to train your faith to display qualities that reflect the heart of Christ.

Galatians 5:22-23 says:

“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!”

Finally, on this side of eternity, we are ALL in training!

We will serve each other well if we remember to see things from God's vantage point. Thankfully, He’s given us the greatest Faith Training Manual – the Bible – to help us in our faith-in-training journey so we can help others as we grow!

“Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God’s way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us.

”

— 2 Timothy 3:17 The Message

Getting Unstuck

So I gave in and finally bought a Fit-bit. When they first came out, I remember judging my friends who bought them. They would freak out when they got to 1000 or 5,000 steps. I thought to myself, “Go work out like normal people do!  I’m sorry but shopping at Target followed by a trip to Starbucks, the gas station and walk to the mail box does not count. You walked a mile in your house today! Go girl, you’re really moving and shaking!!

And then about two years ago, my life changed quite dramatically.  I went back to work, launched two kids to college, released some things I loved being part of in my community and hit menopause. All of a sudden I found myself at a standstill.

That standstill looked like depression, lack of motivation, discouragement, anxiety and confusion. I had experienced days like this in the past, but this time something felt different within me. It was an interesting season of trying to navigate difficult transitions in my life.  Honestly, I was quite consumed by myself and my circumstances. There were days where I was like, “Peace out, world!

A little backstory: I have been a competitor and athlete for most of my life. But in this season, moving was the last thing I wanted to do. Moving from the car to the couch to watch Netflix after a long day of work had been more my vibe. I think my wake-up call finally came during a doctor’s appointment when I saw a number on the scale I had only previously seen in the 2nd trimester with my pregnancies. Yikes!!

I needed to MOVE again but I was stuck focusing on all the physical problems I was experiencing instead of the solutions available to me.

I finally gave in and ordered the Fit-Bit, simply to remind me to MOVE.  So that in the midst of life, I could bring some physical and emotional health back to my body. And guess what? It’s been awesome!  And yes, I AM that crazy lady on aisle 3 of Raley’s doing the happy dance when I reach my step goals.

I was thinking about this experience and how often we find ourselves in seasons where moving spiritually feels impossible. We feel stuck in our circumstances with a lack of motivation and energy to spiritually move beyond them. We have forgotten what life looks like when empowered with the movement of the Holy Spirit.  And to make matters worse, we look around and see others experiencing what we so desperately long for…peace, contentment, joy and purpose.  

“Are you experiencing unwanted circumstances in your faith journey causing you to feel spiritually paralyzed? Maybe you are going through an unexpected divorce, facing some tough parenting challenges raising your kids, received some unexpected news from the doctor, confused by decisions you need to make about your future, having difficulty trusting God to provide for you, grieving the loss of a loved one, or ________________.”

If that is where you are today, my heart aches for you...However, there is hope and a way to move through this time of difficulty with grace, understanding, patience, peace, and a greater perspective of how God is shaping things in your life for His greater purposes.

It begins with a reminder of how much God loves you and wants to walk through this time with you. You are not alone. Like the Fit-Bit, God has given us the Bible-Bit.(being cute) The Bible is His inspired Word, personally reminding us to take one step at a time, keeping our eyes on Him and what He promises us along the way. We are reminded to take steps to listen, obey and apply biblical truths and realities to our circumstances so that we can MOVE beyond our difficulties with purpose and understanding. That's the party to celebrate!

It is impossible to open up God's Word, read it and walk away without some change of thinking and lens of how you’re currently looking at things. It may not be immediate, but God promises His Word does not return empty.  Our ability to MOVE through the tough things in life does not depend on us, but on God and the ways He has promised to carry us to the other side. 

What a great promise to move towards today!

“Acts 17:28 says, For in Him we live and move and have our being.”