I woke up this morning thinking about hope, how much we all need it.  Have a friend in a really tough spot – he’s not sure he can make a difference in his particular situation, part of him wants to quit, shame and anxiety are messing with his head and his heart.  Ever feel like that?

I heard Wendy Backlund speak at Bethel Redding in the summer of 2016.  Describing her own journey into hope, she said God told her, “You have permission to be hopeless about anything I am hopeless about.”  And just what is God hopeless about?

Her husband Steve pointed out “our first instinct is to look at what we are doing wrong, instead of what we are believing.”

Make sure you’re working on the right end of the problem.  Go back to basics.  Breakthru is going to come as you renew your mind, it’s going to come through relational encounter with Jesus.  You start getting your thinking right, and he’ll get your heart right.

Focus on that.  Do the work.  Be who you say you want to be.  Don’t let up.  Don’t quit.  We all have plenty to be thankful for, and your story isn’t over yet.  Ignite your hope.

 

Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,
for I have put my trust in you.
Show me the way I should go,
for to you I entrust my life.

Psalm 143:8