We all have those moments when situations don’t allow us to see more than the mess that it’s in front of us. It’s very easy to get discouraged when we go through something difficult that doesn’t seem to resolve. Sometimes those in who we rely to encourage us are the first ones to have negative things to say. God tells us to not dismay. Isaiah 41:10 tells us, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” 
If we read Exodus, we read how God provided water and food for the Israelites in the desert. He also provided a cloud by day and fire by night to show them the way. The same God of the Israelites is the same God we serve. Exodus 3:14, God tells Moses, He says I am, not I was or I will be. He is still the same God that helped Moses part the Red Sea, and that provided for them in the desert. What is your Red Sea? Who is your Egyptian chasing you down and frighten you? It doesn’t matter. As long as God is God, he will make a way out to provide for you, guide you and comfort you. Until next time;
Be blessed
Tag: hope
Let Hope Rise
There are some days that are harder than others. When life decides to throw us a curve we tend to think or worry about how we’re going to go on. The reality is that God is always working behind the scenes, paving the way for our benefit.
If we don’t lose hope and trust God and His love for us, we will know that no matter what’s going on, something good will come out of it in the end for us. I firmly believe that when a bad day happens, that the sun will shine in the morning and I always hope that I have the chance to see my challenges as an opportunity instead of seeing things as struggles.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18
So we’re not giving up. How could we!
Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us,
on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace.
These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times,
the lavish celebration prepared for us.
There’s far more here than meets the eye.
The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow.
But the things we can’t see now will last forever.
Blessings!
A story: Hope p.2
Thanks for coming back. I hope you enjoy the end of this short story of hope…
Paula slowly threw her leg over the rail. She looked at the water, it seemed so peaceful. All of the sudden she felt a tug on her other leg. Something was stuck to her pants, it was dark and she was not sure of what it was, but she just continued to feel the tug in the cuff or her pants. She returned the leg back inside. She couldn’t believe her eyes, it was a dog.
Part of the reason why she couldn’t see it well it was because the dog was black. It was a dachshund. She couldn’t believe a dog that small could have cling to her legs strong enough to stop her from jumping. She sat in the ground looking at the dog. She quickly noticedwhen the dog sat in front of her, that it was a female dog.
“Hey sweetie, why are you out here? It’s so cold” Paula starred patting her head. She continued to talk to her new found friend. “Did you escape? Or where you thrown out to life like me? “Paula started to cry again. The dog walked to her and started liking her hands that were covering her face.
“I wish you could understand how sad I am. I wish I could tell you all I have gone through. I also wish you would have let me jump; all this pain would finally be over. I’ve lost everything! I lost my parents, my job, my health, my boyfriend! I don’t have anything left to hold on to” Paula continued telling her story to the little dog as she jumped in her lap and settled herself between Paula’s legs. She started whining as she placed her little head over Paula’s knee. Paula pat her one more time.
Paula’s heart melted to the tenderness of this little animal. She felt so unloved, afraid and sad yet somehow as she sat on the ground, in the cold in the middle of nowhere, she felt at peace. Every time Paula pet the dog, she would wag her tail making Paula smile at the cuteness of this little dog. Paula finally looked at the tag and it read, “Hope”. There was no phone number, address or an owner’s name in the tag.
“So your name is Hope” Paula said looking at the little dog still cuddled in her lap. She took a deep breath and said, “Ok Hope, I guess you’re right…all I have is you and hope, hope that just like you who appeared to save my life out of the nowhere, things will work out somehow.” Paula got up from the ground hugging her new best friend, trying to warm her up with her own body with the hopes that after reaching the bottom things couldn’t go anywhere but up.
Sometimes just is the little things that matter the most. When you find yourself hopeless, look around…God is always handing out bits of Hope… Be blessed!
A Story: Hope p.1
This week I decided to share with you a short story I wrote sometime ago. Hope is something that we all need in live… See how Hope changed someone’s life.
HOPE
Paula left her apartment convinced that she was not going to return. She wasn’t sure of what she was going to do or where she was headed, but she knew that her chest was tight and she felt like she couldn’t breathe anymore. So many things had happened in the last year that she felt like she was at the end of her rope.
She was walking down the street. It was dark outside, but there were no clouds. All the stars were distinctively able to be seen in plain sight. It was somewhat windy, but the pain in her heart was so big that she didn’t feel the cold in her body, even though she was not wearing a coat. It was so late that there was not another soul outside. She started running and running, almost as if she were trying to escape from herself, but the pain in her heart was so heavy that the more she ran the more it hurt.
Like a movie flashing in front of her eyes, the last year of her life was playing in front of her. First was the tragic accident in which both of her parents died. She had just had dinner with them at a restaurant, but she decided to allow them to take a cab back home because she was meeting her boyfriend later. She blamed herself, if she had driven them home, maybe they would be alive.
There was also the problem with her health, she had been feeling these crazy pains in her body. She thought she was too young for all these aches. She finally decided to go to the doctor and was diagnosed with RA. How could she have arthritis and she was just approaching thirty? She was in constant pain; and it made it hard for her to get up in the mornings to go to work. It was hard to stay in bed for long periods of time; it was hard to stay seated for long periods of time. The medication helped some, and it seemed to make the pain less intense, however it didn’t make it go away.
Her job was less than tolerant and with all her absences due to her illness, she started having problems at work. Also, even though she was trying really hard, her productivity had declined because she was constantly not feeling well. So that morning they had let her go.
Pain and sadness struck her as she walked into her apartment. Her boyfriend was using her place as his bachelor pad. Paula felt a range of emotions, anger, betrayal, shock and heartbreak. This was a time where she needed him the most. On her drive home she had been hoping to find some comfort in his arms, instead she found treason and another woman.
After he left she sat on the sofa for hours in shock. She didn’t even cry. She couldn’t move. Her mind was racing, but she felt like the world around her had stopped. When the numbness started to fad, she decided that she couldn’t take it anymore and took off running out the door.
Paula ran until she came to a bridge. She stopped to catch her breath. She noticed there were very few cars driving by. She was panting and as she stood there trying to catch her breath; she finally started crying. She bent over the rail of the bridge wailing in pain. She looked at the water and had an idea. Jumping over would be the solution to her problems. She finally would be able to end her pain.
Come back on Wednesday as we get to share the second part and the end of this story of Hope…until then. Be Blessed!
Naty Matos 