Life is..Hopeful?!?!?!?

A few weeks ago, I thought I would talk about how unsettled life feels and how I’d heard that from others over and over again, but I feel differently today.

I think it’s because my certification program is coming to an end, and I see the next step (just step mind you) of my journey. Spring is in full bloom, and the worst of the pollen is behind us so it feels new and alive. I have multiple trips planned including a few beach trips so that’s exciting. The Covid vaccine is more widely distributed so it feels freeing and like the world will open up soon. Plus, when I tell people I’ve been vaccinated, they let me hug them. Oh, how I’ve missed hugs!

So, yes, life is hopeful.

But what about when life felt less hopeful a few weeks ago? What was that all about? Did I remain hopeful or did I “waller” (there’s a good Southern phrase!) in what didn’t quite feel hopeless but definitely felt unsettled? I think I did a little bit of both. I “wallered around” in the mud of unsettledness, but I still felt change was coming and was hopeful of what that might be.

Change in Schedule

Because I’ve had a change in schedule and people are in the house that weren’t in the house before, I’ve had to change the way I do things. At first I was frustrated, but schedules and routines can be binding and not transformative. I think the shake-up was good for me. It helped me pay attention and focus to see how best to arrange my prayer life. This truly is still a work in progress!

Small Group Keeps Hope Alive

There are a few things that kept me going. I meet with a group of ladies every Monday morning, and we share how God is moving in our lives. It could be through scripture, prayer, worship, friends, books we’re reading, images that come to mind when thinking about God or a hodge-podge of all of that.

We take turns where one person speaks for about 10-15 minutes, and the others listen. After some silence, we begin sharing what we heard and asking questions of whomever shared, taking the person who shared deeper and enabling her to pay attention to where God is moving in her life. Once that person finishes, someone prays for her then we move on to the next person.

We’ve had to learn this process. It’s hard not to “fix” someone else’s problems or give advice or tell a story of how that happened to you, but it really IS about the other person and her relationship with God - not anyone else’s experience or expertise.

Pray Without Ceasing

My prayer life has changed through Covid. It seems God and I have more time to talk, and I have more ways to distract myself, but I still find myself turning to him throughout the day.

Trust in God

No, I didn’t do this perfectly throughout the last year, and I won’t do it perfectly going forward, but I did place my trust in God. I knew he had it under control. I knew he saw the end, and I had the sense that this was an opportunity for me to grow and change, which I did.

A Chance to Praise God

So, today, I can say, life is definitely hopeful and life WAS hopeful before. Because we all felt unsettled together, and I can see the provisions God has given to me, my family, my friends and so many around me, I am able to praise him. I am able to see how many bad scenarios were turned into good, how many silver linings there were to the dark clouds, and how he was there through it all.

And through it all, through it all

My eyes are on You

And through it all, through it all

It is well.

~“It is Well” by Bethel Music