For I know the thoughts I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Jeremiah 29:11

Are you hopeful or hopeless? Little children are the picture of hopefulness. Their eyes are bright  and their hearts are trusting. But hope sometimes gets lost under the pain of our ongoing lives.  When hope is lost, how can we get it back?

 The regrowth of hope can be compared to the growth of a seed into a fruit-bearing tree. A seed must be planted before it can grow. Hope also must be planted as a seed in our hearts before it can grow. Releasing negative thoughts from our past plants seeds of hope for our future. A seed must be watered and tended, and hope must also be nourished with care. The weeds of unbelief and unforgiveness must be pruned from our hearts so that hope may grow. And just as a tree cannot grow without the help of the sun, hope can’t grow without the help of the Son. Hope grows anew in our lives as we open ourselves to the light of His love.

Thought:  Hope grows with help from the Son as He shines His light on our hearts.

And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

II Corinthians 12:9

The apostle Paul was an excellent model for women on the journey who are dealing with how to react to personal weaknesses. Not only did he not try to hide his weaknesses as we often do.He actually wrote about them. The Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, is a story of man’s weakness and God’s grace.

When can God step in and take control? Is it when we, in our pride, are trying to hide our sin and our vulnerability? No! God comes in with His sufficient grace when we say we can’t cope anymore. He steps in and fills the gaps. He builds the bridges so we can cross the troubled waters of our life.

Sometimes the problems in our lives won’t disappear. Paul, for example, lived his whole life with his “weakness of the flesh.”  But he still came to a point that each of us are striving for. He gave himself humbly to God and was willing to accept whatever God chose for his life. Let’s determine to accept God’s grace today. He is there waiting for us to come to Him.

Prayer:  Lord, I lay down before you my many sins and shortcomings. Alone, I just can’t get better. With your grace, I can continue on the journey.