Welcome Grace
  • Home
  • About
  • Speaking
  • Book
  • Blog
  • Contact
Select Page

The Hope Series: Where there is Faith, There is Hope.

by Jessica Van Roekel | Feb 6, 2018 | Christian Living

hope

 

“Where there is life, there is hope,” is an old Roman adage. But it’s not a certainty. It’s not a guarantee that just because you’re alive, you have hope. Hope is so much more than being alive–it’s nebulous and concrete–it can’t always be explained, but must be experienced.

 

Hope makes a way for us to touch life with tenderness, taste life with delight, view life with optimism, and hear the song of life. It’s in our most devastating moments that we can experience the highest hope. But how?

 

How do we transition from devastation to hope and furthermore to a lifestyle of hope? Is it possible to make hope our first reaction instead of our second or third or last?

 

The words Peter writes in 1 Peter, resound with the sound of hope in my ears. It’s a guidebook for living hopeful in this devastating world. Peter walks us through the definition, the defining nature, and the determination of hope.

 

Peter defines our living hope as the resurrection of Jesus and the future glory of his return. He shows us to live defined by hope by getting rid of the things that hinder it, and how to be determined in hope.

 

As believers we live future minded. Our present choices and actions are governed by the expectation of seeing Jesus face to face. There are three things that we can do in the here and now that will grow our hope.

 

“Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 1:13 ESV

 

A disciplined mind.

 

Have you seen those toy sticky hands? My kids will occasionally get these plastic, gelatinous hands with a stretchy string attached and they slap it on the windows, the doors, and the sofas, and as it gets used it picks up dirt, debris, cat hair, and crumbs. And pretty soon it’s filthy. Sometimes walking through life can be like that hand. We’re reaching and touching lives and getting a little dirty. Things start sticking to us and pretty soon we’ve lost our hope. If you can center your thoughts on the return of Christ and live accordingly, then you will be effective in the world, spreading hope wherever you go. Outlook affects outcome and attitude determines action.

 

A sober mind.

 

Sober doesn’t mean serious. It means a calm, steady, and controlled mind by weighing the things you watch and listen to by God’s word and being secure in it. It stays aware that satan is on the prowl and staying alert to his tricks. Our cat is Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. We call him Sunny, but he is anything but sunny. He purrs and then bites. He prowls and then attacks. And when we forget his tendencies, we become prey to his tricks. He jumps at us and our hearts race and we remember his nature. Satan is like that. He prowls around attempting to distract us with despair, disappointment, and discouragement. But you have no reason to fear: Christ is coming! And for that reason alone, your mind can stay calm and secure.

 

An optimistic mind.

 

Positivity comes easy for some people. It’s like they ooze glitter and sparkles. It’s easy to look at that type of person and wonder if they understand that pain exists. As a positive person myself, let me assure you: I’m aware of pain. Pain has stolen my breath and turned my world dark. But I’m also aware that God is in all and over all and that he has my back. His heart is good and trustworthy. When the outlook is gloomy, have an up-look.

 

I took a hike along the Northshore of Lake Superior this fall. The beginning of the hike deceptively hid the strenuous middle. At one point I faced 275 stairs. In a row. I have a funny knee that doesn’t laugh at stairs. I knew the view at trail’s end would provide me with a beautiful reward, but I needed to stop in the middle to catch up and to look up. To pause and take in the beauty of the forest, the curling birch bark, and the way the clouds skidded along the mountain. Life is like that trail. It’s starts out innocent enough and then morphs into difficult challenges and the only way through is through. Look beyond your circumstances and see God. He’s there.

 

A disciplined, sober, and optimistic mind creates a spiritual mind-set that allows us to experience the grace and hope of God in the day to day grind of life. We have the assurance of seeing Jesus face to face at his second coming, but we have the ability to see evidence of him in our todays as we fix our minds on him.

 

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Print Friendly
I'm glad you're here.

Archives

Categories

Most Recent

  • A Blessing for the Faithful Heart
  • A Prayer for the Forgotten
  • A Blessing for the Weary
  • Four Ways Rejection Can Benefit Us Part 2
  • A Blessing of God’s Love

Most Popular

  • A Blessing for the Faithful Heart
  • A Prayer for the Forgotten
  • A Blessing for the Weary
  • Four Ways Rejection Can Benefit Us Part 2
  • A Blessing of God’s Love

Managed Hosting By

Hi, I’m Jessica

Let’s Connect

  • Follow
  • Follow
  • Follow
  • Follow

Get the book

Reframing Rejection

Get the free resource

Discover Freedom & Hope

Recently posted

A Blessing for the Faithful Heart

Happening on Instagram

When we struggle with doubt, we can have a couple of different responses. We can ignore them or look to the world’s wisdom to handle them. Both responses allow the doubt to grow.
 
But I’ve learned God is big enough to handle my toughest questions. Questions like, Did I hear you right? Why does my loved one have to suffer? Why are there so many divisions between people. Don’t you care? Doubt filtered through the power of God’s word leads us closer to him.
 
One key is to hold out doubts in a loose hand with an open heart as we allow the Lord to sift through the issues behind the doubt. When we do this, he leads us to revelation and greater understanding of himself.
#christianwomen #doubts #trustingod #welcomegrace #reframingrejectionbook

View

Mar 23

Open
When we struggle with doubt, we can have a couple of different responses. We can ignore them or look to the world’s wisdom to handle them. Both responses allow the doubt to grow. 
 
But I’ve learned God is big enough to handle my toughest questions. Questions like, Did I hear you right? Why does my loved one have to suffer? Why are there so many divisions between people. Don’t you care? Doubt filtered through the power of God’s word leads us closer to him. 
 
One key is to hold out doubts in a loose hand with an open heart as we allow the Lord to sift through the issues behind the doubt. When we do this, he leads us to revelation and greater understanding of himself. 
#christianwomen #doubts #trustingod #welcomegrace #reframingrejectionbook

Who else struggles with perfectionism? I once thought being perfect would protect me from rejection, but it was like swatting at flies with a tennis racket. Perfectionism leads to under developing the ability to hear God’s approval and over developing an ear tuned to what others say or don’t say.
 
Can we look at the woman in the mirror and speak kindly to her? Or do we run over the list of the failures and reiterate the old messages that say, “not good enough” and “unworthy?” Changing these thoughts feels insurmountable, but with God’s help, we can start small.
 
When we accuse ourselves of unworthiness, we can say, “God says I’m wonderfully made,” and believe it in faith until we can believe it for real.

#christianwoman #Jesus #selftalk #livingwater #welcomegrace #reframingrejectionbook

View

Mar 21

Open
Who else struggles with perfectionism? I once thought being perfect would protect me from rejection, but it was like swatting at flies with a tennis racket. Perfectionism leads to under developing the ability to hear God’s approval and over developing an ear tuned to what others say or don’t say. 
 
Can we look at the woman in the mirror and speak kindly to her? Or do we run over the list of the failures and reiterate the old messages that say, “not good enough” and “unworthy?” Changing these thoughts feels insurmountable, but with God’s help, we can start small. 
 
When we accuse ourselves of unworthiness, we can say, “God says I’m wonderfully made,” and believe it in faith until we can believe it for real. 

#christianwoman #Jesus #selftalk #livingwater #welcomegrace #reframingrejectionbook

“You like me. You don’t like me. You like me. You don’t.” As children, we repeated this mantra as we tore petal after petal off a daisy in hopes we’d end on “You like me.” This may have been a game we use to play as children, but we’re not too far removed from it as adults.
 
We position ourselves near someone who can help us get ahead. We stroke the ego of the person in charge. We make their approval our number one goal. But we lose ourselves in the process.
 
We lose our calling and identity because we grow warped trying to bend ourselves into a shape we can’t even identify. Chasing after man’s approval is like chasing the wind. We will not catch it. Wouldn’t it be better to stop and pursue God like we do people?

#reframingrejectionbook #Jesus #Christianwomen #approval

View

Mar 16

Open
“You like me. You don’t like me. You like me. You don’t.” As children, we repeated this mantra as we tore petal after petal off a daisy in hopes we’d end on “You like me.” This may have been a game we use to play as children, but we’re not too far removed from it as adults. 
 
We position ourselves near someone who can help us get ahead. We stroke the ego of the person in charge. We make their approval our number one goal. But we lose ourselves in the process. 
 
We lose our calling and identity because we grow warped trying to bend ourselves into a shape we can’t even identify. Chasing after man’s approval is like chasing the wind. We will not catch it. Wouldn’t it be better to stop and pursue God like we do people?

#reframingrejectionbook #Jesus #Christianwomen #approval

They say out of the mouths of babes comes wisdom and my then then, six-year-old came to me with the question, “Mama, do you know what idols are?” I replied that I did and then asked her if she knew since I was curious to see what she would say. She floored me with this response: “They are anything we love more than God.”
 
Idols can take the form of entertainment, success, independence, people, beauty, and searching for approval. I’ve made idols out of my own comfort and missed ministry opportunities because I was more concerned about if it “felt” comfortable than about obeying God.
 
Psalm 115 says that those who make idols will be like them: deaf, blind, mute, and unable to move. But those who tear them down find freedom to hear, see, speak, and find their purpose once again. Today, will you join me and take a bit of time to ask the Lord to reveal areas of our lives where we may have built idols. He is gentle with us and will help us tear it down.  

#reframingrejectionbook #christianwomen #discipleship #surrender #loveJesusChrist

View

Mar 14

Open
They say out of the mouths of babes comes wisdom and my then then, six-year-old came to me with the question, “Mama, do you know what idols are?” I replied that I did and then asked her if she knew since I was curious to see what she would say. She floored me with this response: “They are anything we love more than God.” 
 
Idols can take the form of entertainment, success, independence, people, beauty, and searching for approval. I’ve made idols out of my own comfort and missed ministry opportunities because I was more concerned about if it “felt” comfortable than about obeying God. 
 
Psalm 115 says that those who make idols will be like them: deaf, blind, mute, and unable to move. But those who tear them down find freedom to hear, see, speak, and find their purpose once again. Today, will you join me and take a bit of time to ask the Lord to reveal areas of our lives where we may have built idols. He is gentle with us and will help us tear it down.  

#reframingrejectionbook #christianwomen #discipleship #surrender #loveJesusChrist

Rest coming because of brokenness seems upside down, but in God’s kingdom it’s right side up. When we strive and strive to hold ourselves together, we hold together our broken bits with effort and busyness. But there is a release that comes when we allow ourselves to sit broken before the Lord.
 
Long waited for dreams and unmet expectations create cracks in our hearts and when they finally break, we can choose rest. It’s in resting in the Lord where we find the rejuvenation we long for, not in ignoring it. Sometimes breaking is the exact right thing for us because we have been carrying bitterness or resentment for too long.

#christianwomen #loveGod #brokenness #discipleship #reframingrejectionbook

View

Mar 9

Open
Rest coming because of brokenness seems upside down, but in God’s kingdom it’s right side up. When we strive and strive to hold ourselves together, we hold together our broken bits with effort and busyness. But there is a release that comes when we allow ourselves to sit broken before the Lord. 
 
Long waited for dreams and unmet expectations create cracks in our hearts and when they finally break, we can choose rest. It’s in resting in the Lord where we find the rejuvenation we long for, not in ignoring it. Sometimes breaking is the exact right thing for us because we have been carrying bitterness or resentment for too long. 

#christianwomen #loveGod #brokenness #discipleship #reframingrejectionbook

The day I burned my entire palm, I couldn’t focus on anything else. I tried to read but couldn’t. I tried watching a movie and all I could see was the air pulsating while pain throbbed through my hand. I came to a full stop. I treated my hand with salve. I rested. I changed bandages. I gave space and time to heal. This experience made me wonder if I give my heart the same kind of treatment. I realized I don’t. Do you?

The next time our hearts throb with disregard or disappointment, let’s agree to give it space and time for healing. This means we receive God’s comfort by coming to a full stop and share how betrayed we feel. Then, we apply his word as salve to our wounds. We read scriptures that remind us of his love for us and the healing power of forgiveness. And we give it time. Time for God to bind our wounds and time to heal

#believe #holyspirit #pray #bibleverse #inspiration #christianliving #prayer #womenoffaith #bibletime #jesuschrist #liveyourfaith #bibleinspiration #amazinggrace #trustgod #wordbeforeworld #devotional #reframingrejectionbook

View

Mar 7

Open
The day I burned my entire palm, I couldn’t focus on anything else. I tried to read but couldn’t. I tried watching a movie and all I could see was the air pulsating while pain throbbed through my hand. I came to a full stop. I treated my hand with salve. I rested. I changed bandages. I gave space and time to heal. This experience made me wonder if I give my heart the same kind of treatment. I realized I don’t. Do you?

The next time our hearts throb with disregard or disappointment, let’s agree to give it space and time for healing. This means we receive God’s comfort by coming to a full stop and share how betrayed we feel. Then, we apply his word as salve to our wounds. We read scriptures that remind us of his love for us and the healing power of forgiveness. And we give it time. Time for God to bind our wounds and time to heal

#believe #holyspirit #pray #bibleverse #inspiration #christianliving #prayer #womenoffaith #bibletime #jesuschrist #liveyourfaith #bibleinspiration #amazinggrace #trustgod #wordbeforeworld #devotional #reframingrejectionbook
Load More
  • Home
  • About
  • Speaking
  • Book
  • Blog
  • Contact

© JESSICA VAN ROEKEL. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. | PRIVACY POLICY | DESIGN & HOSTING BY FISTBUMP MEDIA, LLC.

Pin It on Pinterest