hope

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Have you ever said something then wished you hadn’t? Sent an email that made your stomach knot the moment you released it into cyberspace? Other times, something seemingly innocent slips out that, without us knowing it, negatively affects our listener. Today Jamie Wright reminds us to choose our words carefully, because our words do matter. In fact, if used correctly, they may even matter for all eternity.

I’ve been hazed. Did you realize the power of words extends beyond your writing, beyond your conversation, and into the mental psyche of those who hear/read your words?

When I was expecting my first child, I experienced “hazing” that cut me deeply and drove a knife into my heart. Here’s a bit how the conversations went:

Me: Wow. 11 hours of sleep last night rocked. I love sleep on a cold Autumn night.
Other Person: Enjoy it while it lasts. You’ll never sleep again once the baby is born.

Or ….

Me: I can’t wait to see my little girl smile when daddy walks in the room.
Other Person: Ha! Then burst in colicky fits of screams that you can’t solve and break your ear drums after 4 hours of non-stop sobbing.

Or – is this one better …

Me: I love 24. It’s my favorite TV show … Jack Bauer … yeah! I can’t wait for January.
Other Person: January? JANUARY!! You’ll never watch anything but Dora the Explorer again. Maybe you can catch the seasons of 24 that you missed when you enter retirement in 2040.

WHAT IT FELT LIKE THE “OTHER PERSON” was REALLY trying to say in all those scenarios was: The demon child will soon come with pitchfork in hand and skewer any sense of earthly paradise you may have left in your soul. Beware. Your personal hell is about to begin.

Aren’t children a gift from God? When did they grow horns? I’m not sure. And, if I was one of those annoying new mothers who just rolls with it even when my baby keeps me up for all hours and I still have a smile on my face and my hair looks good … why throw darts at me? Maybe … I just saw a few more blessings. Or maybe I’m delusional. Sometimes delusion is a beautiful thing.

The written and spoken word is a POWERFUL thing – it can be hazing or instill hoping. As a writer, I pray that my words either written or spoken, bring with it the hope of the Lord’s beautiful creation, amazing grace, and supernatural sense of peace (laced with my sinful sense of sarcasm, I suppose). lol

Have you experienced your own hazing of sorts spurred by words? I’d love to know. Because I really hope that in the midst of my own personal hazing, I haven’t been hazing someone else in another way … my apologies if I have.

Jamie Wright, the Writer of Historical Romance Stained With Suspense

Professional coffee drinker, Jaime Wright, resides in the hills of Wisconsin writing historical romance with a distinct emphasis on suspense. Her day job finds Jaime directing an HR Office and developing her employees and their training programs. She’s wife to a rock climbing youth pastor, mom to a coffee-drinking little girl and a bottle-drinking baby boy, and completes her persona by being an admitted Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Blogspot junkie. Jaime is a member of ACFW, enjoys mentorship from a best-selling author, and has the best critique partners EVER! (yes, that’s an exclamation point)

In her “down time”, Jaime reads voraciously, socializes incessantly, drinks coffee addictively, and overuses “-ly” words excessively.

Visit her online at:  http://coffeecupsandcamisoles.blogspot.com

Contact her via Email at: jaimewrightbooks at gmail dot com
Like Jaime on Facebook 
Friend Jaime on Twitter
Meet Jaime on Pinterest
Jaime’s old blog/archives – The Jaime Reports

We’d love to hear from you. Life is hard. Surrounded by negativity, it becomes even harder. Have you found this to be true? And do you find it easy to speak hope into people’s lives? Why or why not? I know as a mom, it’s easy to fall into a “constructive” rut where I’m spending more time training and correcting than building up and nurturing. When that happens, God normally reminds me to step back and open wide my hugging arms. 🙂 What about you?

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for they did not believe in God
    or trust in his deliverance. (Psalm 78:22)

Two weeks ago, we talked about finding hope during tough times. (You can read the post here.) Hope is a funny thing. With hope, humans can endure some of the most difficult trials. Without hope, even minor set backs can feel overwhelming.

Grabbing hold of hope isn’t easy, especially when you feel like you’re stuck in a never-ending torrent, but by staying connected to God, reminding ourselves of who He is and what He’s done, and taking our thoughts captive, hope comes easier.

Lately I’ve been camped out in Psalm 77-78. If you are having a difficult time, I suggest you take a few days to prayerfully meditate over this section of history.

Psalm 77 begins with an honest prayer of desperation. The psalmist cries out to God, expressing a sense of hopelessness.

I cried out to God for help;
    I cried out to God to hear me.
2 When I was in distress, I sought the Lord;
    at night I stretched out untiring hands,
    and I would not be comforted.

3 I remembered you, God, and I groaned;
    I meditated, and my spirit grew faint.
4 You kept my eyes from closing;
    I was too troubled to speak.
5 I thought about the former days,
    the years of long ago;
6 I remembered my songs in the night.
    My heart meditated and my spirit asked:

7 “Will the Lord reject forever?
    Will he never show his favor again?
8 Has his unfailing love vanished forever?
    Has his promise failed for all time?
9 Has God forgotten to be merciful?
    Has he in anger withheld his compassion?” (Psalm 77:1-9)

But he doesn’t stay here. Notice his deliberate choice in verses 10-12:

Then I thought, “To this I will appeal:
    the years when the Most High stretched out his right hand.
11 I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
    yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.
12 I will consider all your works
    and meditate on all your mighty deeds.”

The psalmist decides to remember God’s miracles of long ago, to consider His works, and to meditate on His mighty deeds.

In other words, he diligently and persistently took his thoughts captive, replacing negative and anxious thoughts with truth.

He begins by focusing on God’s nature:

Your ways, God, are holy.
    What god is as great as our God?
14 You are the God who performs miracles;
    you display your power among the peoples.

God is holy–without fault or error. God performs miracles. This means He is not limited by our circumstances or understanding. God is powerful, and His power is displayed among us–by His loving, holy hand working through our lives.

The rest of the passage and much of Psalm 78 recalls numerous miracles God has performed.

This prayer appears to be a model of Paul’s instructions in Ephesians 4:6-7

6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

I think the key here is praying with thanksgiving. When you’re feeling down or discouraged, counting your blessings can be hard, but doing so reminds us of God’s love, power, and grace.

I know many of you are going through some really tough times. I imagine there are days where just making it through feels like a challenge. Taking your thoughts captive and making them obedient to Christ will take strength, perseverance, and determination, but I believe the results will be worth it. When we quiet our anxious thoughts and center them on Christ and His truth, we are better able to hear His Words of guidance and comfort. And when we remember all the times God has shown up for us in the past we are reminded of His power and constant care.

I love the honest emotions revealed in the psalms–the authentic prayers of a heart crying out to God. Today spend a moment meditating on Psalm 77-78. Is there a particular verse that speaks to you? Share it with us and how God used it to guide, strengthen or comfort you.

Psalm 78:22 stuck out to me, especially in the context of the passage.

for they did not believe in God
    or trust in his deliverance.

God had rescued the Israelites from slavery, brought them across the Red Sea, provided water for them from a rock, but when their next difficulty hit, they didn’t believe God could or would come through. Perhaps they saw each trial as something different or maybe they worried He’d changed His mind. Regardless, their actions–and most likely, their angst–were a direct result of their core belief about who God was and what He’d do.

I wonder how often our struggles have the same root cause.

Join us at Living by Grace as we take about grabbing hold of and living in the peace Christ has already provided.

And make sure to come back to Living By Grace Friday and Saturday for our in-depth look at the book of James.

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I love reading testimonies of victory–stories of ordinary people overcoming difficult odds. I often wonder, what enables one person to move forward when everything beats them down? Why do some rise from tragedy and heartbreak empowered and passionate while others slip into ever-increasing bitterness? I believe the answer to those questions are likely as diverse as the obstacles individuals overcome, although I wonder if one truth underlies them all–hope.

THE AUDACITY OF HOPE by Edwina Cowgill

I like the word audacity.  It sounds…well, audacious!  Bold, daring, confident.  Like I want to be.  Like I should be because the Bible says the “righteous are as bold as a lion.”  I have been made righteous through the blood of Jesus Christ.  Thus, it stands to reason that I am righteous, I am BOLD!

I heard this term “the audacity of hope” at Convocation this past June.  The Patriarch was preaching and he mentioned the woman with the issue of blood. Matthew 9:20-21  “And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment: For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.”  Patriarch Bates went on to say that she was desperately needy. (I guess so – after 12 years!) “Being desperately needy makes a person have audacity of hope.”

In our relationship to God, being desperately needy is a good thing.  And that’s good, because I find that I desperately need God 24/7.

The word ‘hope’ is found in the Bible 174 times. Here are just a few verses:

Job 11:18  “You will be secure, because there is hope; you will look about you and take your rest in safety.”

Psalm 31:24
“Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD”

Psalm 33:20
“We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield.”

Psalm 71:14
“But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more.”

Psalm 147:11
“The LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.”

Proverbs 23:18
“There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.”

Isaiah 40:31
“but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

Jeremiah 29:11
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

“HOPE” can be an acronym for:

H eart

O f

P eace  [and]

E xpectation

Think about it.  We can have a heart of peace and expectation in the face of all that is going on in today’s world.

Are you desperately needed?  Do you have the Audacity of Hope?

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Edwina has been writing since her teenage years, but began seriously pursuing her writing career in 2008 by taking classes on writing through several websites and through American Christian Fiction Writers. She has written a number of articles, many of which have been published on various websites, including the Houston Examiner, F.A.I.T.H.: Following Always Intently Trusting Him; The Sara-Ministry.com, the Midsouth Diocese of the Charismatic Episcopal Church and several church newsletters. Her first published work in book form was “Kate’s Story: A Story of Redemption and Love,” presented in “Count It All Joy” an anthology of short stories from the members of Christian Writers United, Newnan, Georgia, in 2009. A second short story, “The Front Porch” was published in 2010 in “Skinned Knees and Skate Keys,” an anthology of short stories based on the writers’ childhood memories. Edwina publishes a blog three times a week; she is currently working on her first nonfiction book. To find out more about her, her ministry, and her writing, visit Musings of Edwina or contact her via email at edwina@edwinacowgill.com.

Let’s talk about this. I’ve often heard most of us can deal with almost anything for a time. Knowing things will one day get better, if not here on earth, then in heaven, can bring great comfort. How do you hang onto hope when things seem hopeless? Where does our ultimate hope lie? And how can we give hope to others?

Join us at Living by Grace as we talk about clinging to the hope that doesn’t disappoint.

What are your favorite hope-infusing verses? Share them here so someone else in need of an encouraging word can gain peace and strength through God’s unchanging Word.