Hope Fanatic

I confess, I am a hope fanatic. For me, I am irrevocably a “glass half full”, a “don’t give up yet”, an “it’s not over until it’s over” kind of girl. I will fight for the underdog. And when the worst thing happens, I will usually be the one mentioning the all-important silver lining. Hope. It has a life of its own. And it can be very contagious and life-giving. This is why I am a hope fanatic.

~Background ~

Like most people, I’ve experienced some pretty dark days in life. Whether it’s a sudden death, a long illness, financial distress, or a myriad of other troubling things that can occur in life, one can become defeated quite easily if one allows it. Regardless, you can only sink so low before you either decide to homestead your desolate place, give up altogether, or pull yourself up out of that proverbial pit.

Let’s face it. Life is just awful sometimes. And sometimes, it just does not know when to quit hitting you. You can become overwhelmed when life just keeps throwing blow after blow at you. Relentlessly. Weekly. Possibly even daily! For weeks, or even months on end, the battle rages on. How can you survive such struggles?

~ The Choice ~

For me, it comes down to a choice. I have chosen to never give up, to always have hope. Yes, there can be extenuating circumstances. We may need medication (from general health, to hormonal, to antidepressants, and on), or even counseling (sometimes we just need help seeing a new way to view things). Those are sometimes very vital to our continued health. But, in my opinion, they won’t, and never will, help with our overall core outlook in life. That is something we must actively go after for ourselves.

I’ve been deeply depressed, and experienced hormone imbalances and chronic illness as well. Sadly, there were times when I experienced all of those at the same times, plus other things. Honestly, those times were vicious crap times that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. Regardless, at some point you must have hope that it WILL all get better eventually. You determine in your own mind you will fight your way out of whatever pit you find yourself experiencing in the future.

~ My Source ~

That relentless pit is exactly where I have found myself multiple times. And multiple times “hope for a better tomorrow” was my response. I heard a phrase years ago. “What’s it going to take for the devil to get you to quit? Is this it?” In each circumstance, my answer has been no. That is ultimately due to the fact that I have predetermined in my mind that with Jesus Christ on my side the devil will never win my defeat. Therefore, I AM victorious in Christ.

Admittedly, I am a blood bought, drop dead, sold out, Jesus freak. I am a daughter of the Almighty God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Rom 8:14, Acts 7:32). My Lord fights for me (Ex 14:14). My God is with me always, has saved me, rejoices over me with gladness, sings over me, and comforts me (Zeph 3:17, Mt 28:20b). I can do anything with the strength of Christ in me (Phil 4:13). I refuse to focus solely on the past, but to focus on my future that will be filled with good things for me (Phil 3:13, Jer 29:11). I choose to focus on the good things in life (Phil 4:8). Furthermore, God has seen all my scars and inner faults and has still chosen to love me and die for me (Ps139:13-18, Rm 5:8). And that’s just scraping the tip of the subject.

There are so many factors to consider and verses to reference that we could be here indefinitely. Suffice it to say, God has proven Himself to me time and time again. HE is trustworthy. I may have struggled and doubted from time to time, and probably will again in the future. Yet, I have always found Him patiently waiting with arms open wide when I align my thoughts with Him once again.  I simply cannot keep that joy and hope from flowing out into every other aspect in my life.

~ Conclusion ~

So, that’s where my insatiable hope resource springs from. I would have dropped out long ago if I had not believed I would see the goodness of God here on earth (Ps 27:13.) Where do you draw your hope from? Do you know Jesus personally? If not, call out to Jesus the Messiah. HE has promised to answer anyone who earnestly seeks him (Mt 7:7-8).  If you need help, you can shoot me a message or seek out a Christian person or church near you.

Life is too short to live without hope in our daily lives. Make the choice for yourself today to live in hope, if you haven’t already. Predetermine in your mind now what your response will be the next time you find yourself facing those seemingly insurmountable odds.

Thanks for reading!  Do you have anything to add?  Where do you draw your hope from?  Leave a comment below and let’s chat.