Tag Archives: hope

Heart to Heart 

16 Tuesday May 2017

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So, the other day my hubby and I were having a heart to heart. Love those with him. He is usually very quiet, so the conversationalist in me rejoices in these moments. Since the cancer diagnosis {9 months ago} a lot has changed, mostly our perspective. How we live and why. Trauma does this. It rearranges, subtracts, and adds to life. We don’t get to choose the unexpected, but we can choose how we respond to it. 

It’s easy to become cynical. Angry. Bitter. That’s the path of least resistance. Looking for the good and purpose requires more thought, time, and effort. People usually quit before they find it. Fatigue sets in. Hopelessness drains hearts. Lies steal futures and then our choices destroy us.

We make excuses for inexcusable things just because of what has happened to us. Life. Family. Struggle. We give it all to much credit for all the wrong reasons. I am guilty of glorifying the pain and the ones responsible for it. A huge part of my life was lived being hurt by those hurting from others hurting them. It’s a vicious cycle that needs to end now! 

Cancer is not an excuse, neither is abuse, rape, poverty, violence, or any other horrible thing the enemy throws at us to become one who victimizes others and ourselves with our poor choices and thoughtless actions. 

Choice. It’s a beautiful, fragile, powerful thing, yet we don’t always handle it with care. I’ve learned that not making a choice, is a choice. When we choose to sit back and do nothing with the life we’ve been given it’s a waste of the potential we have inside of us. 

You see, our life doesn’t end at the end of the struggle if we still have breath. Purpose can be born out of the struggle if we don’t grow weary and trust that God is faithful to complete what he started in us. 

This was the heart to heart we had. What are we gonna do about where we’ve been? The good. The bad. The ugly. It all matters. Can we become people who allow God to use our struggle, pain, and past to be expamples of what hope and victory look like? I pray we can.

I want to blaze a trail of hope for my children and generations to come. I want and need my life, all of it, to count. I won’t accept it was all for nothing. When God said, all things work together for the good of them who love him and are called according to his purpose, I believed him!! And now I have to partner with him to see that purpose revealed and lived out. 

No more excuses. No more causing pain because we hurt too. Enough is enough. We have lives waiting on us to be who we are meant to be. You are someone’s example, blessing, and trailblazer.  Don’t quit now! Be the someone you needed and I promise you you’ll find your purpose. 

There’s no going back to the way things were. Honestly, I don’t want it to. Why? I’ve learned what it is to be strengthened in difficulty. To rely on God with every fiber of my being. I’ve seen miracles happen. Hearts transformed. Cancer won’t become our excuse. No, it’ll be our launching pad that propels us closer to our purpose!! 

Em ❤️  

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Let Go 

10 Tuesday May 2016

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I recall a time when I was ok with the idea of being single forever. My track record of finding “Mr. So Not Perfect” was flawless. I was resolved that I could be single and be just fine. Really, I was good. I didn’t tear up watching chick flicks, it was allergies. My heart didn’t long for a relationship, that was heartburn. Nope, not going to that wedding, I have to wash my hair that day. Truth was my defenses were up and I didn’t want to go through what I went through before. My past was a reminder of all that could, would, and did go wrong.  So, I shut my heart up and nearly killed my hope. 

Are you stuck in a past defeat or situation that has left you hopeless for the future? Believing that nothing is going to change? If God, right now, answered your prayers could you believe and receive it, or would you be looking back and not notice all that is right in front of you? 

Well, I’m here to encourage you that it’s not to late to begin to look forward with hope and expectations of good. Our seasons of life will change and when they do we must be willing to let go of the past and embrace the new. If not, we risk forfeiting the blessings and the joy that comes with them. 

God will turn our situations around and when he does I’m gonna be ready!! I choose to empty my heart of painful memories, disappointments, and fears and be open to receive all the good he has for me. Yesterday is gone. Today is a new day, with new mercies. New grace. New blessings. New relationships. New jobs. New opportunities. New doors. New visions. New dreams. We can’t go back. There is nothing we can do about yesterday other than let it go. 

When I am tempted to lose my hope I will remember that I have been married for 18 years to a handsome, funny, brilliant, loving, and perfect guy for me. I would’ve settled for just handsome and loving but God is too good to let us settle for less than his best for us. My husband is a reminder to me that when I let go of yesterday and believe that God answers prayer and is true to his word…I get more than I ever asked for. Dare to believe God. Let go and get ready. I promise you, you won’t regret it! 

Now to Him who is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly more than all that we dare ask or think [infinitely beyond our greatest prayers, hopes, or dreams], according to His power that is at work within us.            

Ephesians 3:20 {AMP}

Plot Twist 

06 Friday May 2016

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I love watching a good movie or reading a good story. However, I do not like it when there is a serious plot twist and it throws me for a loop. I wasn’t expecting it! Seriously!! Way to change it all up!! 

Oh how our lives can be the same way. One day we are good and the next day BAMM it all changes. No matter what the changes are, good or bad, it takes a minute {or longer} to wrap our minds around what is going on. Adjusting to the change may take a little more time as well. 

I recall our first months in Texas. Talk about plot twist! I could not for the life of me wrap my mind around living in Texas. I mean, we are here, in Texas, but in my mind everything was California. Writing my address took some time for me to put the correct state. Realizing that my friends and family were not as close as they used to be. Knowing that I would have to make new friends terrified me.  

Some plot twist can throw you so far off and if we’re not careful they can destroy us. Like the passing of my dad. Never saw that kind of pain coming; for him or for my family. Some things won’t ever make sense and searching for the why’s will lead us down the road of bitterness. A dark and lonely road filled with shadows and despair. No good dwells there. 

I want to be strong. Resilient. Brave. Ready to face what comes unafraid.  Instead, sometimes I run and hide. Cowardly. Full of fear. A damsel in distress who needs rescuing. Through these past years Jesus has reminding me over and over and over again that if I run to him he can take any plot twist and turn into a story that brings hope, restores faith, and encourages others not to give up. Oh sure, I may have to face the big bad wolf or a wicked witch {hopefully not literally} but never alone or without a victory.  

With Jesus as the center of my story ensures that my ending will be fruitful, purposeful, and more than I ever dreamed or imagined. I may endure loss but he has promised to restore. So, I’ll take the plot twist knowing that it will ALWAYS be used for my good! 

Morning Prayer 

28 Thursday Apr 2016

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Lord, we give you this day to do as you will. We trust your heart, your ways, and your plan for our life. You promised that you would finish what you have started in us, so strengthen us to keep hanging on when we feel like we are about to fall. Give us courage to continue to believe your word and promises. Show us your mercy and grace should we blow it today. Remind us God that you are bigger than any issue. Stronger than our weakness and more faithful than the morning sun. Nothing, absolutely nothing, is impossible for you to do. We cling to the hope that you are ALL we will ever need. In Jesus name we pray…Amen!! 

Don’t Stop! 

25 Monday Apr 2016

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Don’t be distracted by the chaos. The shifting of your current situation may leave you shaky and unsure. We tend to question and even retreat because transition can be messy. DON’T STOP GOING FORWARD!! Don’t believe the lies that are trying to stop your progress. Yes, you heard right. Yes, this is for your good. Yes, God is going before you. No, you are not making this up. No, you are not crazy. No, God can not fail you. Where we are going into this new season is filled with promise and advancement. Don’t be taken hostage by lies and fear. What you see now, the shaking, the mess, is only an indicator that the new is coming! Steady your hearts and minds on the faithfulness of God to get you to your destination!! 

Get Ready! 

22 Friday Apr 2016

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I pray a fresh wind would come and move you into the zone of favor and blessing. The challenging parts of life are necessary. They help us grow. If times were always good and easy we would never be forced to dig deeper, trust God, and move out of comfort and into character building. I don’t know what your last season {or current} has been like. If it has been anything like mine, it’s been dry, quiet, frustrating, and lots of growing pains. Good news…we are coming out!!! What lies behind you pales in comparison to what’s in front of you. Don’t stop! Keep going!! God has promised to finish what he started and you’re going to be on the receiving end for persevering! My friends, get ready, get ready, get ready, the wind is about to blow!! 

Today’s Declaration 

20 Wednesday Apr 2016

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I declare today that the breath of God is breathing life over you. Lord, breathe life into every dry, dead, and dormant place. Revive the hopeless! Restore the broken-hearted! I speak to every dead area and say “LIVE!!” You will live and not die to declare the works of the Lord!! Abundant life! Joy! Peace! Provision! Healing! LIVE!!! LIVE!! LIVE!! Breathe your breath God, now breathe!!!

Brave 

30 Wednesday Mar 2016

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To be brave is to show no fear; to be not afraid. That’s a tall order! Going beyond our feelings of the moment and stepping into the bravery we have deep inside is what God calls us to. We need to be unafraid. Unhindered. Unwilling to let our current situation define who we are. Our present and momentary affliction is just that…momentary. Today is NOT your forever. We are learning how to live for our tomorrow’s today. Don’t waste this day in fear. Grab ahold of it and allow it to work for you instead of against you. To be brave is to believe and move into the place of impossibility…in your mind. It’s starts here. You can do hard things. I can do hard things. Sometimes the hard is just believing. Breathing. Getting up and doing another day. Hoping against all odds. I challenge you to step into the atmosphere of faith, remove fear and insert trust. Our fear may feel real but it’s not our truth. The truth is we can and God will!! 

Lord, we come into agreement with your word that we are more than conquerors. You have created us in your image. You dwell on the inside of us and we have power through you. Breathe on us today the breath of life. Give us courage to believe. To be brave. To step out in faith and move in the direction of your leading. Your plans for us are good. We are yours and you take care of your own. In Jesus name…Amen 💞

Morning Prayer 

28 Monday Mar 2016

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Good morning!

I pray today brings a new stirring in our hearts; a new wind in our sails. May we be expectant of all the good the Lord has planned for us. When the arrows fly I pray we choose to stand behind the truth of Gods goodness. Lord give us eyes to see, ears to hear, and hearts to receive what you’re up to. Fill us with hope that believes for far more than we can ask, dream, or imagine. You are good, faithful, just, and for us. In Jesus name…Amen!

Wait For It. 

26 Saturday Mar 2016

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Today we have the luxury of hindsight {understanding of a situation or event only after it has happened or developed}. We know the story. Jesus lives {hallelujah!!} but if we look closer history shows us another angle of the story…the waiting. 

It is day two. The followers of Jesus are in mourning. Some have scattered. Some in hiding. Others in denial. Disbelief. This has really happened. Jesus is dead. Those closest to Jesus knew this had to happen. He spoke of it. The prophets foretold it. It was written. But still, the doubts, pain, loss, anger, and hopelessness lingered. The words of Jesus echoing in their minds…You will see me again. They didn’t fully understand when he said it and surely more confused now in their blurred state of mourning. Nothing made sense. Every word of Jesus and the Father was in question. Was what he said true? The Father. The prophets. The word. Was it all a lie? All they knew was there is a borrowed tomb that Jesus is in and there they were. Hurting. Wondering. Waiting. 

I don’t know about you but I have certainly been in a hurting, wondering, and waiting place. Questioning every word spoken. The written word. The prophetic word. All of it. Is it true? Because, from where I stand I just don’t understand it. Nothing is matching up yet, I wait. 

The disciples and followers of Christ seen the word come to pass and so will you and I. Jesus is alive which means…every word ever spoken out of the mouth of God is true…it will come to pass! It matters not what the current situation looks like or how impossible it may seem, the word of the Lord never fails. Those who wait on him won’t be disappointed. If you find yourself in the waiting, the process, you are in good company. Though it linger wait for it. Continue to wait with expectation that victory comes. Restoration comes. Your resurrection Sunday is coming!! 

But these things I plan won’t happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, do not despair, for these things will surely come to pass. Just be patient! They will not be overdue a single day!     Habakkuk 2:3 {TLB}