I have been waiting for this day, September 1st, 2016, for a looooooong time because today is the day I got to turn in my manuscript, which means, it is one step closer to getting into your hands, which means, I am one step closer to being one step nearer to your heart. I had my ten year old son, Camp, press “SEND” on my computer this morning because my concoction of excitement and nerves seemed to take over and my heart barely had the courage to press the button! He giggled. :)
When he pressed SEND while I looked over his shoulder biting my fingernails, I felt this nudge….we are just sending whoever picks up this book…HOPE. Sweet hope. Because we all need to know that there is always hope in life, in our dreams, in our relationships, in our hard things, and for our hearts because of the constant hope we have in Jesus. So Camp and I sent out hope today in the form of words mingled together slowly over time from sorting out my own hopes and dreams with God. And I pray this moment that they will get to you (it’s going to be awhile, January 2018) and that they will spur on your hope that this God I talk about a lot over here on this quiet, tiny corner of the web, is REAL in YOUR life. He’s PRESENT in YOUR circumstances. He KNOWS the dreams and desires of YOUR soul, and He WANTS to GUIDE YOU, LEAD YOU, and TWIRL you around through this life with His love and grace and constant faithfulness. I can’t wait for you to just have a little hope-filled, dreaming-filled, sweet dance with the Lord through the pages of this book. I HOPE it’s a blessing to you.
Just this week, as I navigated some of my own hopes and felt challenged with questions like, “Do I keep my hopes up or do I kind of give up on this thing, whether it’s a dream, a desire, or a prayer request?” Give up or keep hoping? A sweet reader (sweet one, you know who you are) wrote me about similar questions going on in her heart…”I am afraid to hope, you know?” Yes. I know. Sometimes when our hopes don’t turn out the way we want, well, it simply hurts. Hopes that don’t pan out hurt. And so sometimes we stop hoping or dreaming because we don’t want to feel that hurt.
But here’s what I do know. Keeping our hopes down, keeps our joy down. And keeping our hopes down robs us of peace, of energy, and of excitement.
I think of this verse,
“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” Proverbs 13:12
Hope deferred (put off, delayed) makes the heart sick…but a longing fulfilled (keeping that hope in God up) is a tree of life. (a thriving, well-established, growing, healthy soul)
I don’t know what has got your hopes down today. In this world, sometimes we kind of grow numb to kind of a “hopes down” syndrome, you know? Today, I want to encourage you to let your hope dance again. In that dream, in that relationship, for that prayer request, with your God…let your hope dance again. Believe that God has GOOD THINGS…SOMETHING GOOD…just for you today and everyday. Watch for those little sparkles of hope. God is all around you, at work in your day, sprinkling your day with little hope-filled moments. Watch for them, sweet one.
Know today and everyday that there is ALWAYS HOPE in EVERYTHING and EVERY situation because we have the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Holy One in our midst all the time. He always wants us to keep our hopes up!
Let your heart dance with HOPE today.
Photo: www.pexels.com
Congratulations-it is September 1! It’s been a long road but will be so worth the wait to bless your readers!!
Love this one, too.
You have no idea….how much I needed to hear this today. Been hoping for so much lately, and am battling almost hourly, feeling exhilarated and hopeful, and then defeated and like there is no point in hoping. It’s exhausting. Thank you for this devo. Perfect timing :)
These words were needed today. Thank you!!
Beautiful, Sarah! My “hope” for this book is that it blesses and encourages all who read it. How exciting that it is been sent! And Camp, great job in standing with your Mom and pressing SEND…. you have a part in this, too. You and your brothers bring such JOY to your Mom and Dad! Always remember their example in seeking Jesus everyday and looking around for the HOPE we have in HIM! He is always showing us glimpses of Himself in His Creation and the people in our lives. We all need to SHINE for Him in all we say and do… because He is our HOPE! Hold fast to His WORD…. and true happiness will be yours!
So thrilled for you, Sarah! Hugs!!!!!
Sweet Nancy, you are such a treasure, and you truly have the gift of encouragement! Thank you for your precious comment, for your sweet, sweet words of truth, encouragement, and hope, and just for being such an angel!