Tag: hope

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Where to Find Hope in Pain

Where to Find Hope in Pain.png

I probably don’t have to tell you that life’s really tough, sometimes.

 

I’ve done so many posts about pain – about depression and anxiety, about feelings of hopelessness, about when life throws things at us that we’re not ready for, about what we’re supposed to do when we literally have no idea what to do.

 

Life’s messy.

 

Painful.

 

Confusing.

 

And my first reaction, honestly, is to go hide away in my room and look for a distraction.

 

It’s awkward to admit that, but it’s true. I want distraction over comfort, desperate feelings over peace, extremes over hope.

Continue reading “Where to Find Hope in Pain”

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When God Feels So Far Away

when-god-feels-so-far-away

 

What do you do when God feels so far away? When there seems to be no feeling at all, no Voice, no overwhelming peace? Just the absence of anything deeper?

 

That isn’t how I wanted to start this post. I wanted it to sound beautiful, inspiring, but though it’s laced with desperation, it’s imperatively honest. Because for this past week, and maybe even for this past month, I’ve been there.

 

It took me a while to come to that conclusion – to be truthful with myself – to let myself admit that I haven’t been feeling my faith recently.

 

At first thought, I was horrified that it would even cross my mind that perhaps God wasn’t speaking to me as I clearly remember Him doing. It terrified me that maybe…I’ve been relying on myself so much, that life’s been so good, so easy lately, that I’ve forgotten my need to rely upon Him.

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Hope For When God’s Promises Seem to Be Hidden by Pain

hope-for-when-gods-promises-seem-to-be-hidden-by-pain

Often, I’ll look around me and see those people that just seem to have everything so together.

 

Whether online or face to face, there are always those people that simply seem to have life down. They’re walking around, living life, and gently saying things like, “Oh yes, I trust God,” and “Of course I can feel how much God loves me,” and “I am so content, no matter what.”

 

And seeing those people like that…it’s so inspiring, yet oftentimes so intimidating.

 

Because it’s easy for us to say, or at least for me to say, “I trust You, God,” when life is simple.

Continue reading “Hope For When God’s Promises Seem to Be Hidden by Pain”

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Why We Need to Quit Trying to Save the World

why-we-need-to-quit-trying-to-save-the-world

Can we stop trying to change the world?

 

Listen close, for just a second.

 

I say: The world doesn’t need fixing, because it’s already been done.

 

I don’t mean the world’s perfect. I don’t mean the world’s not broken – just look around, steady your eyes on a little slice of the pain and you’ll be convinced in an instant that something’s sorely wrong, sucked nearly dry of hope.

 

But there is something greater than the brokenness that we see – something higher, bigger, more powerful than the messes we create for ourselves.

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When We Can’t Explain the World’s Pain

when-we-cant-explain-the-worlds-pain

Wordless.

 

Sometimes that’s what life makes us.

 

When we see the tragedies in the world, our own selves falling apart, the world splitting with injustice, and evil, and suffering – we don’t know what to say.

 

In our heads, we know that God is all good, all powerful, and full of compassion and love.

 

Yet when life makes us ache, brings us to our breaking point, and the world shouts, “How could you believe in a God that allows you to suffer?” we’re often silent.

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How to Pursue Purpose-Filled, Intentional Living

how-to-pursue-purpose-filled-intentional-living

I don’t want to write just to write.

 

I penned these words in my journal on July 17th, 2015, a time when I was wrestling with the difference between simply writing words, and writing words that mean something.

 

After timidly claiming the title of “writer,” I decided that maybe that wasn’t who I truly was.

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Our Only True Hope (Hebrews Bible Study: Week 6)

Our Only True Hope (Hebrews Bible Study- Week 6) 

Welcome, friends, to week 6 of the Hebrews Bible Study. Feel free to hop in any time; we’re so glad to have you!

 

Last week, we covered two main points – two to focus on, instead of the usual three-to-four.

 

*Jesus is our representative before God – and He gets us, because He Himself was human.

 

*Jesus is the source of eternal salvation. No one else.

 

And our weekly takeaway: “We are redeemed by Jesus – our mediator, our brother, our Savior.”

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It’s Okay To Not Be Okay.

It’s Okay To Not Be Okay

 

Sometimes, it’s okay to not be okay.

 

Because we’re not always okay.

Continue reading “It’s Okay To Not Be Okay.”