Yesterday I sent this photo to a friend:
I said, “Liv and I made some bouquets out of flowers from the garden. There is beauty in the midst of the disaster.”
She replied, “Look at that message of hope sitting there on the counter!”
And it just made me stop and think…do we look for the message of hope? It’s always there. Truly. Whatever you’re going through, whatever hardship you are facing, whatever situation seems hopeless, there is always a message of hope.
If you aren’t in the habit of looking for the message of hope, it might seem hard to find or maybe even impossible. I used to feel that way.
Years ago I struggled through some really deep depression. Every day was a battle in my mind and the thoughts of hopelessness often won out. I spent a lot of time in my head, spiraling round and round negative thoughts and hope seemed nonexistent.
I remember telling a lady a church that I often felt hopeless. She replied, “I’ve felt that way, but remember, there is ALWAYS hope.” It seemed facetious at the time, but it is really true. There really is always hope.
And the more you start looking for it, the more you’ll see it, and the more you see it, the greater your thankfulness and joy will be. And then you’ll start seeing hope in every situation and you’ll suddenly find yourself naturally pointing it out to others.
One day, I remember it hitting me that I didn’t have to dig and try to see the hope anymore. I had fought so hard for a long time to see it in everyday that it had become a habit to look for it. Suddenly I was more of an optimist than ever before.
I remember thanking God for completely changing my mindset and outlook. I went from seeing the dark, the hard, the struggle, to seeing the light, the blessings and the hope.
I’m not saying it’s easy, it’s not. It’s a true battle. But it is possible. And believe me when I say, there is always “a message of hope sitting right there on the counter!”
One practical thing I did when I was in the midst of the battle was to write down three things every night that I was thankful for. Sometimes it was a true challenge to come up with three, but I forced myself to do it every night before bed. And before long, it became easier and easier and I was writing ten or more items down.
Life is hard. There’s a lot of ups and downs. We get to choose how to look at and face those challenges. Why not face them with a message of hope?
Desired Haven Farm 