Gal. 5:5 says, and I’m paraphrasing, “we eagerly await the hope of righteousness” when we are made into the image of Christ.
When there is conflict and struggle going on - cling to that hope. God promises that the struggle will not last forever. It will end. We can have hope that it is temporary.
I Cor. 15:19 - if we only have a human hope, we are to be pitied. If our hope is only in this life, then we’ve lost sight of our real reason for hope.
We are never without hope as believers!
Three months after that first Sunday in Claremont, the kids and I moved just down the street from my parents into the most perfect little house. We became part of the church in Claremont for a few years and made some dear friends. I did counseling with my Dad, and Bible Study with a small group, and God opened my eyes to my destructive behaviors and thought patterns, and slowly, as I surrendered, God changed me.
He says, “Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28. Rest was something that eluded me for so long, but as I learned to give up control, I found true rest in Christ.
Over the next months and years, God worked miracles. He changed my heart and showed me how to move forward in hope. He breathed life back into my soul, and I could feel newness growing like spring. And, my hives went away.In July of 2015, six years after Jon had passed, God made it clear to me that it was time to remarry, something I had been very opposed to up until that point. My daughter had been praying for a new dad since shortly after Jon passed, and He used those prayers in my life. God dropped an amazing man in my lap and showed me it was possible to love again. Heath and I were married in September of 2016, and he is so patient and understanding, he loves the Lord and loves my children as his own, and he helps and encourages us to keep Jon’s memories alive. He is such a gift, and I am so thankful.
Grief still shows up, and anxiety and depression will rear its ugly head once in a while, but it doesn’t consume me anymore. I know where my hope lies, and I am confident in whom my hope lies. My hope is in Heaven. My hope is in the cross of Christ. My hope is in the Lord.
If you would like to watch the video of my testimony, you can view it on my YouTube channel here: Hope Restored
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