Hope | itsawonderfilledlife

Posts Tagged ‘Hope’

A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes …

Posted in The Kids, WONDER, tagged #adreamisawishyourheartmakes, #wonder, Cinderella, Dancing, Dreams, Hope, Prince, Princess on June 16, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Oh how I love this song … when I hear it, I think of miracles. You see, my eldest daughter is a bit (those who know her realize just how much of an understatement that it) of a Cinderella. As, a matter of fact, the theme of her 17th birthday party was ‘Disney Princesses’. And she, as Cinderella, hosted her ‘dressed princessy’ friends to the ball … but I digress.

So, the song reminds me of a miracle. The miracle is, that between his love for his daughter, and her love of all things princess, my hubby dances with his first born princess to this very song. Now how, you ask, is this a miracle? Ya gotta know my hubby! Dancing is one sacrifice he is not normally willing to make! He has no interest in dancing, at all, period. I think I could count, on two hands, how many times he has danced with me in our eons of marriage. Sometimes he ‘pretends’ to dance in public, mocking himself as he moves in a manner similar to the groundhog in the movie ‘Caddyshack’.

But, I digress …

There is something so sweet about dancing with your dad, papa, daddy, pops … whatever you call him, to dance with your father IS to be princess, even if that one dance at the ball is 2:42 long. To dance with your father is to dance with the prince of the kingdom.The only kingdom a little girl knows of.

I remember dancing with my dad one time. I was in elementary school (aka the years of princesses), and my parents were preparing to go to a dance at the local high school (when you are from a ‘village’ of about 1600 people, there is only one high school). My mom (probably late … Mom, you know it’s true) was still making herself beautiful, and my dad was listening to the music on their ‘K-Tel’ album, playing on the ‘record’ player (oh, how old I am). And, although I cannot remember who initiated for sure, we were dancing together. Me and my dad. My memory is vivid of being transported to the castle, dressed in a beautiful gown, dancing with my prince …

And that memory made me believe that dreams do come true. That there was a prince for me (other than my dad), that, one day I would wear a gown and be held by my prince, and live happily ever after. It is a memory of such a significant event, that it ‘fed’ the princess within, to grow, to hope to dream for something even beyond my imagination.

Every little girl needs a memory like this … of dancing with her dad, or whoever her living prince is. She needs this memory, like she needs food, and education, and ‘stuff’ … probably more than ~~education~~ ‘stuff’ 😉 A little girl needs the model of a strong, protective, loving prince, so that when she is sought out by the frogs and toads of life, she will be able to recognize the dance of a prince among them. My hubby has had very big shoes to fill, and my daughters future princes will have big ones to fill as well.

But the dance is not just for ‘Cinderella’ or ‘Belle’ or ‘Beauty’ or “Ariel’. No, it is as much for good old Prince Daddy, as for the Princess. It’s just that, dad’s, you forget, what the prince never knew, while she is still in your arms …

“Cause all too soon, the clock will strike midnight, and she’ll be gone”

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Driving to Hope

Posted in WONDER, tagged #annvoskamp, #drivingtohope, aholyexperience, Hope, joy on June 1, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Living in the Fraser Valley of British Columbia, I am well acquainted with Hope … not with a small ‘h’ but a big one.

Hope is the community East of Chilliwack. A small town with a picturesque view of the Fraser River and the mountains. A town more familiar to people who stop and keep going.

For our family it is the home of the camp of church family retreats, as well as the summer camp of our son.

The signs indicating the approach to Hope offer much opportunity for jesting …

“almost to Hope”

“don’t go beyond Hope”

“lets visit Hope”

But when we say those things we are not referring to Hope as a place, but hope as something to hold.

Don’t we all want that hope-thing to hold tightly in our hands? in our hearts?

I recently read a post by Ann Voskamp, called How to Keep Hoping for the Things that Seem Impossible, and she told a story of hope … unexpected hope.

The following are only segments of that post, but it is SO worth it to click on the link and read the entire story.

“Who believes in dreams anymore?
Who believes in unseen things,
in impossible things,
in the things you can’t measure and control and deduce and reduce and wrap up in a reasonably neat and timely package
and who in this cynical world remembers how to find Hope?”

“Time can’t dictate dreams or hijack hope or determine destination.

Time may have hands on the clock but it’s arms are too weak to rob anybody of hope, steal anybody’s prayers, destroy anybody’s joy.

And So what if time’s got hands on a clock — it’s God who has His Hands on the universe. Every little thing is going to be okay because God is working good through every little thing.

All that’s happening is just happening to make miracles. There are miracles always unfolding under the impossibles.

“Joys are always on their way to us,” writes Amy Carmichael. “They are always traveling to us through the darkness of the night. There is never a night when they are not coming.”

Because there is never a night where joys are not coming to us, there is never a road that can’t arrive at Hope. Circumstances can go ahead and run out of time — but the courageous refuse to run out of hope.

We can always hope because there is always joy traveling to us down the unexpected roads.

And because the thing is: Hope always has a cost and hope is always worth it, because who wants the cheap and deadened alternative? Hope fuels the soul to impossible places.”

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The Sixth (and Final) Week of Lent

Posted in WONDER, tagged #1peter3, #crave, #forkingandcountry, #thesixthweekoflent, Easter, Hope, lent on April 16, 2014| 3 Comments »

We who have given up, in sharing the sacrifice of Christ, this season of Lent have almost made it to the finish line.

Five weeks ago I expected to be drooling this week in anticipation of having cream in my morning coffee again …

but, something has happened …

I don’t miss is anymore.

Four weeks ago I realized that doing anything for love was more difficult than I ever imagined possible.

Three weeks ago I was convicted to not make fun of people stumbling from their pedestals, but to pray for them.

Two weeks ago I realized that Lent had nothing to do with my sacrifice.

One week ago I understood the weight of the sacrifice of Christ, knowing that He was doing for all … those who would accept the gift, and those who would spit on it.

Week 1 of Lent I shared of my giving up of something that hurt.

Week 2 of Lent I shared of willingness to do anything for love.

Week 3 of Lent I shared of laying ourselves aside to pray for others.

Week 4 of Lent I shared of how it is not about my sacrifice.

Week 5 of Lent I shared of how Christ sacrificed, for all! The really, really evil and the not so bad.

And now, the final week of Lent.

By now, if you have sacrificed something for this season, you might be craving to resume your habit, your favorite thing, your desired spice of life.

But I think we are in for a surprise this coming Sunday, when our season of sacrifice turns to feasting and celebration.

I think that when we are faced with that thing we have missed, we will discover that it is not as good as we remember it to be. I think that we will discover that, whatever ‘it’ is, it no longer feeds our craving as it once did.

There is only one thing that satisfies the craving …

the craving for hope …

that Lent has reminded us we crave for most.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.“ 1 Peter 1:3-5

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The Lifeguard

Posted in WONDER, tagged #karenmargulis, #keepingwatch, #lifeguard, #thelifeguard, Disappointments, Dreams, Hope on March 13, 2014| 1 Comment »

wildwood lifeguard

“a dream is a wish, your heart makes”
Cinderella

From the time we moved into the house across from the public swimming pool, she dreamed of being a lifeguard.

She did every expected level of swim lessons, with the determination and focus of a med student.

She observed the lifeguards every summer day she went to public swim (often, twice a day).

She never ran on deck.

Always put water on the back of her neck before entering the water.

Never pushed or roughhoused with other swimmers.

Never dove from the side of the pool.

She has always taken water safety very seriously.

She swam competitively on regional and varsity teams.

She has taken all of the courses, and ended up abandoning her dream … sort of.

At fourteen she got a job as an assistant swim coach.

Since sixteen, she has coached swimmers in a swim club.

For the past three years she taught swim lessons in our own, and the private pools of others.

She has never actually worked (other than privately or in a volunteer capacity at a camp for families with Cancer) as a lifeguard.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Sometimes our dreams take U-turns!

Sometimes our dreams end up deep in the sea of our memories.

Sometimes our dreams have dipped beyond the horizon.

Sometimes …

our dreams get replaced with new realities.

If anyone were to have told our five-year old daughter that she would never work as a lifeguard, she would have been

crushed,

devastated.

Now, looking back at how her dream morphed into something different, she does not look at this change as being a bad thing, but simply a different dream, a new dream.

From the unfulfilled dream, comes a new reality … the new reality a new and living dream.

New has emerged, as the old has passed away.

From the dry ground of

disappointment, hurt, and nightmares,

comes

rebirth, hope, and brand new dreams.

When we face the loss of dreams, may we not lower our heads, and eyes in sorrow

but raise our eyes to ask the lifeguard of eternity

what hardened seeds will you plant in this garden?

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A Joy Perspective

Posted in WONDER, tagged a joy perspective, Hope, susie larson, Trust on February 4, 2014| 1 Comment »

On a winter morning, with fog in my brain, not enough coffee in the pot, not enough minutes to sit and create, not enough surety in the day to come … I can easily, quickly, flounder into a dark place.

Then, the beautiful, gentle-but-firm reminder the newness of the day, of fresh starts, of mercies, of a presence of comfort and hope is in front of me,

and I doubt my own doubts, and I feel the joy of anticipation of what lies ahead.

What has changed?

The fog in my brain is still thick, there is still not enough coffee, still not enough creation minutes, still no surety in the day to come, but …

I have been reminded of what I already know …

I can trust Him with my heart.

He was there all through the winter mornings in January.

He was there with long range vision of the future I could not, can not, see.

He was there when plans changed, when choices were diminished.

He was there when all hell broke loose.

He was there when all seemed dark, and bleak, and hopeless …

But,

because He was there,

because He IS here,

I can face the unknowns of today, from my vantage point of weakness, and trust that He will be with me through it all. Never alone will I be, as He is always with me.

And,

He is with you.

Through whatever twist and turn that has changed your plans, your dreams … He is with you.

Trust Him … He is trustworthy.

He is doing a new and beautiful thing in you …

He provides reason to have a joy perspective.

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Got a Dementor in Your Life?

Posted in WONDER, tagged dementor, Hope, John 10:10, john 16:22, joy, soul sucking on January 22, 2014| 2 Comments »

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I love having my son in my life.

He and I share some of the coolest debates about action heros (Marvel or DC comics?). He most strongly shares my love of the Narnia stories. We go to all of the action hero movies (Avengers is one of my favorite movies of all time). And, through him, I have experienced the Hobbit for the first time.

Thankfully hubby really isn’t into such frivolous modes of entertainment, so I do not have to share our son in this area.

Lately, my man-child has been enjoying Harry Potter.

I had only read the first book in the series with my eldest daughter when she was young (as a lover of Disney princesses, she had no time for the Harry Potter series).

Regularly I get updates on the storyline, the characters, and the excitement … I do a significant amount of SNA …

smile … nod … agree

I often feel the glazed look come over my face, and pray that I might be able to maintain enough interest to ask appropriate questions, so as to ensure that my precious child know that I love him enough to stay interested in his interests.

The other night the fog lifted and my attention was fully his as he described to me a dementor. According to my man-child a dementor is:

“a non-being that reaps the souls of the living, of happiness, creating much fear and terror and sadness in the minds of the livings bringing them to their darkest memories … they pretty much make you live in your darkest nightmares.”

It really pretty much describes the shortened days of winter for me.

For someone else the dementor might be the process of divorce.

For someone else the dementor might be their present job.

For someone else the dementor might be the mourning of a loved one.

For someone else the dementor might be a struggling relationship.

For someone else the dementor might be a time of illness.

For someone else the dementor might be financial difficulties.

For someone else the dementor might be depression.

For someone else the dementor might me ….. (fill in the blank).

Whatever it might be, at some point in the lives of all, we are faced with a dementor … one “that reaps the souls of the living, of happiness, creating much fear and terror and sadness.”

The dementor reminds me of what Jesus called the thief, in John 10:10, “the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

That thief is the dementor of all dementors, the destroyer of all destroyers, the biggest soul-sucker of them all, the Prince of darkness. It is he who sucks the life from us.

Life … the most miraculous gift of all. Through living we uncover our passions, and put them to their best use. Through living we commune with our Creator. Through living we experience joy.

But, Jesus also encourages us, in John 16:22, “now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.”

Hope for this day!

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Hopeful Grief

Posted in WONDER, tagged 1 thessalonians 4:13, Death, Hope, re-birth, Redemption, revelation 21:4 on January 16, 2014| 1 Comment »

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Days ago I received an email from a lovely lady, catching up her email group about the status of the health of her hubby, dealing with terminal cancer. I read, I sighed … the end seemed near.

And now his end has opened the door for his greatest beginning.

Death can be hard. It is a separation from those we love. It is an end to life as we know it. It is absence of presence.

But death does not have to be … final.

1 Thessalonians 4:13 is a verse that hubby (who is a pastor) often quotes when dealing with death and dying, tears and grief, separation and absence. In a nutshell (Carole version) it says,

“by the way, I almost forgot, when you are faced with the death of another follower of Christ, don’t worry. We do not mourn as those who have no hope”

The hope that is available to all who choose to accept it is the hope that the birth of Christ (which was celebrated just weeks ago) provided. Christ, the redemption, or Savior, of our sins. Because of His sacrificial death on a cross, we never have to experience death the same way. Death is no longer an eternity of nothingness, or an eternity of suffering. It is an eternity of life, and not just life as we have it here and now, but eternity without “mourning, or crying or pain.”

This hope is not something easy to understand or explain.

This hope is kind of like those bulbs that you might have planted back in the fall. They were hard and lifeless. Yet, we planted them in the ground, believing that their energy and life were simply dormant, sleeping. We had hope that one spring day, the kinetic energy within would awaken, and that the life within would burst through the ground … beautifully reminding us of the new and fresh life that comes from that which sleeps for a time … then comes fully alive.

May we accept the hope that allows us to mourn differently … hope-fully.

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The Year of the Lord’s Favor

Posted in WONDER, tagged beautiful things from dust, beauty for ashes, Dust, gungor, Hope, Isaiah 61, the year of the lord's favor on January 14, 2014| 1 Comment »

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New Years Eve, just three weeks ago, we were waving adiós to 2013, and making fresh promises as we prepared to enter 2014.

So, how are those resolutions, those promises going for you? Feeling down? Discouraged? Feeling lower than a speck of dust under your shoe?

There were so many personal responses to Sunday’s guest post by Annie Downs called Scared to Hope, I felt we needed a follow-up check-in.

So, here it is :

Isaiah 61

The entire chapter is titled … get this :

The Year of the Lord’s Favor

I don’t know about you, but I could really use the hope of a chapter title like that! To look upon 2014 as The Year of the Lord’s Favor could make our, already fouled up, resolutions … dust in the wind.

Speaking of dust, one of my most favorite parts of Isaiah 61 is the following :

“He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
    to proclaim freedom for the captives
    and release from darkness for the prisoners,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
    and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
    instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
    instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
    instead of a spirit of despair.

May the music of Gungor reinforce for you and me, that only God can take the ashes, the dust, of our lives and make something beautiful from it.

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Scared to Hope?

Posted in WONDER, tagged annie downs, Hope, incourage, scared to hope, the year we hoped on January 12, 2014| 2 Comments »

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Hope is a dangerous word, because it is often closely connected to expectation of hopes fulfilled.

Life isn’t always like that, though.

Last week as I was reading a blog post by Annie Downs at (in)courage, she started with this question,

“What if this year we just hoped like crazy?”

and I almost deleted it before reading further.

But my ‘gut response’ to want to delete it, not read further, was rather surprising to me. Why did I respond that way? So, I kept reading.

Annie’s post, called, The Year We Hoped, left me feeling as though she was reminding me of what I know in my head, but had forgotten in my heart …

” now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”
Hebrews 11:1

Faith and hope go together … there is no faith if we do not allow ourselves to hope.

Give a read to Annie’s post, and see if you can have a renewed understanding that “hope … never stops at all.”

“What if this year we just hoped like crazy?

The kind of hope that can feel scary and look embarrassing and may blow up in your face.

It seems that there are times we are taught that to be “mature” and “holy” means to be without hope, without risk.

Show that you are okay as you are and that you’ll just play the cards you’ve been dealt.

Don’t dream for things to come or you’ll look foolish when they don’t.

Be content.

But what happens when “content” and “hopeless” become synonymous?

I’ve felt that. Haven’t you? I’ve labeled resignation as contentment. I’ve put all those words in the same folder, thinking the longer hope goes unfulfilled, the more interchangeable those words become. It doesn’t matter what you are hoping for or waiting for – a spouse, a child, a job, a dream, a break, a nap – I bet you’ve wrestled with this. Like I have. For years.

Friends, those words? Content. Hopeless. They were never meant to be synonyms. No one asked you to be content by giving up your dreams. Being CONTENT with life doesn’t mean you CONSENT to quit dreaming.

. . . . .

In 2014, I’m choosing to be content and ridiculously hopeful.

We’re going to have to dance with both words and watch as they step on each other’s toes and turn the wrong way here or there. But I think we can do it- live with hope, live fully today, and feel satisfied.

Here’s what. Hope isn’t being sure you are going to get what you want. Hope isn’t this silly idea that if you can just find the bottle, the genie will give you whatever is on your wish list.

Hope is being sure that we serve a God who CAN. We serve a God who DOES. And we serve a God who KNOWS. And watching to see how He does it all.

I’m full of hope this year about what God can do, what He will do, and trusting that He knows what will be for my good and for His glory.

Sure, I’m a little scared, especially saying it in front of you. And I’m not certain I know what this is going to look like. But I’m willing to try.

To 2014. The year we hoped.

. . . . .

Join me? What are you hoping for this year? “

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In Deep Trouble

Posted in WONDER, tagged donkey in a well, Hope, in deep trouble on December 29, 2013| 1 Comment »

As I awoke this morning with a pounding headache, my first thoughts were pain relievers … and that I had not prepared a post for today!

I have taken the past month off from writing … the longest I had gone before was about three days. I had awoke one morning frustrated by certain happenings in my life, and thought that I was empty of anything of value to share.

So, I stopped.

At first I missed it, but I had gotten myself into a bit of a funk in the way I was thinking, and each day I allowed my ‘hopeless situation’ and self-deprecating thoughts to bury me into a mire of apathy.

Then I recently realized what I was missing. My time writing is usually also part of my quiet time with God, with His word. These words on a screen are the outcome of working through God’s words in my life, and without the finger-tapping on the keys, there was less connection to the one who could pull me out of the pit.

Today’s guest post comes from Cheryl Zelenka, from her blog Weeping into Dancinging. She shared an old story, one with great teaching.

“I came across this story and had to share it with you. Life has both good and bad times but there is always HOPE. Hold on to your faith! Trust that God will provide the strength, ideas, friends, and means to bring you through your trial or testing. He is all you need!

One day a farmer’s donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally, he decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway; it just wasn’t worth it to retrieve the donkey.

donkey

He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone’s amazement he quieted down.

A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well. He was astonished at what he saw. With each shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up.

As the farmer’s neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and happily trotted off!

MORAL :

Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a steppingstone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up.

Remember the five simple rules to be happy:

1. Free your heart from hatred – Forgive.

2. Free your mind from worries – Most never happens.

3. Live simply and appreciate what you have.

4. Give more.

5. Expect less from people but more from yourself.“

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