Made It Through Mondays: Joyful Hope

The alarm goes off. I don’t have to look. I know what the time says.

5:30am

As it continues to sound, I contemplate for a second whether I should just get up or hit the snooze but for another ten minutes.

The decision wasn’t hard. Just ten more…………….

Beep.Beep.Beep.Beep….

Already???!!!! That felt like only 1 minute.

I sit up. Shut off the alarm this time. I stagger through the hallway and down the steps. My cat cries aimlessly. She’s already been fed by my husband, whom she woke up at 4:30. Poor guy. I definitely heard him get up, but it was his turn.

I make a pot of coffee and sit on the couch while it brews. I think about how fast my weekends seem to go. It’s not that I don’t get to enjoy them, they just seem to be over before they even start.

I think of Saturday and how great our bible study went. We really have grown as a group. I love us. I love how we support each other when we need encouragement and offer advice when we are faced with a situation. No passing judgment or awkward exchanges. Only love.

The coffee is ready. I walk to the kitchen and pour myself a cup. I think of the meaningful exchanges that took place here with these friends less than 48 hours ago. Such wisdom and insight this group of friends has to offer.

I wonder will I ever have that wisdom? I know I am growing, but I also know that there are days when I am, as Lysa TerKeurst would put it, unglued. I long to be that woman that Proverbs 31 describes, and although I may be working towards it, I have a long way to go.

I open the twitter app on my phone and search the hashtag #joyfulmornings. This is an online study group I joined from Hello Mornings. There were not too many people who were up yet and only a few had posted a message, so I went over to the daily devotion they had posted for today and the verse was Romans 13:15 which says,

“May the God of hope

fill you with all joy and peace

 as you trust in him,

so that you may overflow

with hope by the power

of the Holy Spirit.”

The questions then read,

What does it mean to overflow with hope?
In what situations or struggles could you use some hope?

I thought back to this weekend’s bible study and the many conversations I had with this one friend over the past year.  Such wisdom she holds. And I wonder how she does it?

Then I think about the book I am reading, Unglued by Lysa Terkeurst. In the book she speaks about finding the wisdom to keep it together and not letting yourself come unglued during different situations with different people. She talks about refusing the labels of the past and ways that we can make progress towards this godly wisdom, even if most days it is imperfect progress.

So, I decided to make a list of 3 situations where I could use some hope and refuse the labels I have created for myself in the past.

1. The Reality: I have stomach issues.

     The Lies: I will always have this disease and I will always feel sick no matter what I do. I will never get better.

     The Truth: By His stripes I am healed (Isaiah 53:5), God’s will for me is healing and health. (3 John 2)

2. The Reality: I want to have a baby

      The Lies: It’s going to be so hard for me. There is something wrong with my body.

      The Truth: Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4)

3. The Reality: There are days when I don’t give 100%

     The Lies: I am lazy. I will never be as good as the other person. They are so good at everything.

     The Truth: My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. (2 Corin 12:9), We will prosper. (Psalm 1:2-3)

How does this all tie in together you ask?

Here it is…

I am going to stop labeling how I used to feel and react to certain situations where I became unglued and I am going to put my hope and trust in the Lord for His truths.

And how do I plan on doing this?

Scripture.

Memorizing scriptures.

I have already started and I am working on memorizing verse 5 of this 52 week verse challenge.

Do you want to join me?

Every Sunday I will post a scripture for the week that you can memorize.

Here are the ones that I have memorized so far:

Psalm 1:2-13

Matthew 6:34

Romans 8:37

Ephesians 3:20

I hope you all have a blessed week!

This post is part of the series, Made It Through Mondays.

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