spoonful of hope

Hope

Since my last post 3 months ago (wow, it just doesn't seem like June was that long ago) God has really been showing me the true definition of HOPE.

Over the last three months I have seen a hopeless situation with a friends adoption turn to a celebration of a soon to be home coming with his forever family. I have seen the Anglican Catering School in Rwanda in need of many supplies to get up to standard  and have funds my parents had marked for another mission project become available to meet the wish list and then some. The matching fund check from the Gap that should have arrived months ago that was ear marked for supplies for the sewing school finally arrived. I have seen dear friends who should have been curled up in a ball for months based on the situations in their personal lives come out fighting with the confidence and courage that only comes from God.

These situations give me hope because God hasn't promised us life would be easy, He promised He would be with us always regardless of what we are going through. The other day, I was doing a word study on Hope and the blue letter bible 3176 word for hope drew me in. As you know, in Hebrew there are many meanings of a word. Hope has multiple meanings in the various contexts it is used. I looked up the verses whose definition matched the 3176.

Micah 7:7 drew me in and I looked it up in the NIV, NASB and NLV and was amazed at what I gathered. Hope means:

• watching for God

• waiting for God

• looking to God

• waiting confidently

• knowing God hears me

• knowing I will be saved

• watching expectantly

Hope is an action. It is a constant activity. It is state of mind that is constantly watching, waiting, looking, expecting that God will answer. How often I asked myself do I lose heart when my timing isn't matching God's in a specific situation? 

The jar pictured above is a blessing jar created for my Yada Yada girls. We each have our own but I made one for our collective group to be a reminder of God's goodness to us! God brought us together a year ago and we are all amazed how He has melded our hearts together. God knew we would need each other this year and through all of the ups and downs God continues to show us blessings in the midst of the downs and what it truly means to have hope.


"But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me." Micah 7:7