When my “normal” is shattered from life-altering experiences I am often left with fear, anxiety, heartbreak, and disappointment, eventually leading me to despair. My hopes and dreams are dimmed by the hard reality of life. But… hope isn’t just a fleeting wish, I feel like Hope is a Person!
I have experienced life-altering experiences that slammed into my “normal” and left me staggering and wondering how I would ever survive. I’m sure you have too! It could be anything from bad medical news, job loss, finding out our family have been lying to us and gossiping behind our backs. We’ve lost people we love. Right now, 2020, our world is experiencing a shaking like we have never experienced with COVID-19 and we have no idea when it will end.
In these immense losses and grief, a portion of my heart disappears along with my hopes and expectations for the future. What am I left with after these traumatic experiences? Fear, anxiety, heartbreak, and disappointment. These feelings and emotions can overwhelm me sometimes, and eventually lead me to despair. Despair is a dark spirit of heaviness that squeezes the life and breath from my purpose, my hope, my willingness to continue. It is the place the enemy meets me, anticipating that I will give up and let him win. Despair is void of hope. Despair is hopelessness. In that dark place where I falter and stagger, the enemy whispers death and defeat, hoping I will make agreements with him. “It’s too hard. You can’t do this. You won’t make it. You may as well give up.”
The enemies strong purpose and desire is to ultimately steal your hope, for then he has killed your faith.
Your hope can be taken away if your hope is in a desired outcome or result. But true hope is greater than even your worst circumstance because Hope is a Person. Our God, who is Hope, is greater than any event. He can never be taken away.
In these times we can turn to scripture for encouragement.
24 Be strong and take heart,
all you who hope in the Lord. Psalm 31:24
Abba Father’s answer to the lies of the enemy is His presence. He is with you no matter what mountain is in your path. While your enemy is pushing you to try an “easier” path, one of avoidance, shutting down, or medicating, the God of Hope knows the way through, the way over that immense difficulty. He has travelled this path and is not surprised or intimidated by any event that altered your life and destroyed your normal.
Will you walk hand-in-hand with Him over this mountain of hopelessness? He honours our hope when we find it in Him.
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