"Hope! Hope! and More Hope!!"

Hey guess what?!
Did you know that there is hope in any and every situation and circumstance of life that you face today?! Yup, sure is!! Just as sure as I'm sitting here writing this to you....and I am.....there is hope!!!

This topic is nothing new for me to write about in my Blogs, for it's been shared many times. And so it is that I know I'm being led once again to share a very heartfelt subject.

If I could share anything on this awesome word - HOPE - it would be when things, people, situations, problems, circumstances appear hopeless, God is ALWAYS at work!!!

Often many times all we see and focus on is what is right in front of us....the unchanged. If we could only see the mighty hand of God at work in our lives and the lives of those we love, we would never have reason to doubt. But it is in those times of discouragement and possible doubt that God says "Child, trust me. I'm working. You don't have to see it to believe it." Often, what appears to be ordinary and mundane is God working behind the scenes with his extraordinary power and hope. Many times there will be no indication of the hope that is coming!

God offers hope abundantly- life changing hope - hope that shatters any and all hopelessness! And what God is NOT doing is mingling or diluting your hopelessness with his hope to make it more tolerable! That is not the mighty and all powerful God we know and serve! He is here to shatter hopelessness completely!!

We must resist the questioning of God's promises and reliability to us. Don't let hopelessness take you to a place of being consumed and therefore viewing all things in our lives through hopelessness.

You may ask: Then how do I get hope?
Want a simple answer?
Trust.

Trust in the promises of God that he is ALL that he says he is - - Healer, Comforter, Provider, Rescuer, Restorer, Savior, Protector, Forgiver....and so much more.
Trust simply in a God who knows, who loves, who cares, is in control, and is taking care of YOU (and those you love)....even when you don't see it.

Believe even when there is no sign to believe.  He is going to do in your life what he has promised to do! If you are not sure of what he has promised to do.....go and begin reading the book of Psalms, for it is full of God's promises made especially to and for YOU.

So friend.....what do you do when the things of life appear to be full of hopelessness and no change seems to be in sight? Do you run to the world looking for reasons why and how to overcome it? Or do you choose trust - - trust in an Almighty Loving Heavenly Father who is there to guide you through?

And remember - - When all appears hopeless.....God is ALWAYS at work!!!!

(Points in this Blog were taken from the message shared today in my church. I thought it was so encouraging and wanted to share with you!)

"Dear, How Long Is This Going To Take?"

My sweet husband is redoing a bathroom.
Nothing really spectacular about that for a story now is there? Although, I do think he IS spectacular and doing a wonderful job!

This particular bathroom has taken him at least 2 months to give his labor of love on. And shall I say....the work continues. In the beginning dear husband thought this project would take no more than 2 weekends to complete - - little did he know.

Carry on dear, for there really is light at the end of the tunnel!!

As I watch him work diligently on each project through completion, I think of God and how he works in our lives. We are individually each a project of God. Each area is a unique work of God. We trust him to form us into the very man/woman of God he has chosen us to be. With that said, there are times that God decides to take his time in the molding process. Instead of a short 2 weekend project, it becomes a lengthier one.

There are many areas of life that God is shaping daily. Our faith, our trust, our hope, our character, our obedience.....and the list goes on. In some areas he works quickly. In others, painfully slooow. But his timing is perfect always. There are times that we call upon God for healing from grief, loss, pain, discouragement and his answer is - wait on me, trust in me, hope in me. "Wait on the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." Ps. 27:14. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding." Proverbs 3:5. "Those who hope in me will not be dissappointed." Isaiah 49:23c.

Maybe you have prayed for your children to have their eyes opened, their hearts softened, their wills brought into submission of living for him. And it may seem the more you pray, the further they drift out into this world. Does it hurt? You BETCHA! Is it discouraging? Absolutely! Does that mean you give up on God answering your prayers and delivering them? Ten million times over - a strong and absolute.....NO! what it does mean is that we keep on believing God's Word; never being moved away from it by what you see or feel. And as you stand firm, God's power is being developed in you. The fact of looking at your prayers and knowing this is God's will for your children's lives, and being unmoved by what you see or do NOT see- makes you stronger in every sense of the word.

I know that - "Deliverance comes from the Lord." Ps 3:8. I know that - "He rescues and he saves." Daniel 6:27. And I also know that - God uses his power to change the areas in my children's lives, and my own, that desperately need his touch. "Ah Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outsretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you." Jeremiah 32:17. I know that - God's timing is perfect and lacking nothing. Think of Abraham and Sarah who were promised a son. God required a whole 25 years to pass before that promise was fulfilled!! "And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised." Hebrews 7:15.

And so my friend....whatever you are waiting on God for in your life - deliverance, hope, answers, strength, know that God hears, God sees, God knows. His answers will come in HIS timing. For we serve a faithful and trustworthy Lord God Almighty.

And just as I wait patiently on my loving husband to finish up what he has started.....I wait on a loving Father who will finish what he has started as well! "He who began a good work in you (or your children) will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:6.

"That Phone Call No Parent Wants!"

I really thought I had Blogged about this story already. I guess the time was never right til now as they say. It has been crossing my mind ever so often to share with you.

Four years and seven months ago (April 08) I received a phone call from my daughter, Savannah, who would have been about 2 months from turning 17.  She told me she had been in a wreck. It wasn't the first time for me to receive such a phone call. Our daughter, Heather, previously had multiple wrecks herself . This would be Savannah's first one.

As I remember, she didn't have panic in her voice....most likely she just matter of factly told me we needed to come. I gave the phone to her Dad and thats when he was put on the phone with the Fireman. Wait....the Fireman?!? Hmm....a little unsettling, but still nonetheless we assumed all was well.

We got the location and we're off to find her.

As we are driving, we see countless flashing lights ahead. Hmm.... As we are nearing the lights, we see that the entire FOUR lanes of traffic, on Hwy 1960 going both directions, are completely closed down!! We pull over and begin walking. Still not understanding the sights we are seeing! Savannah had simply said "I've been in a wreck. You need to come." (My heart is starting to race as I'm just thinking back and relaying this story with you.) Closer we come upon the scene. . . there in front of us in a vehicle turned over on it's side. It's laying in the grass median of the intersection of 1960 and Will Clayton. I quickly exclaim to David, "Look someone's car is turned over!! O my gosh!!" It is nightime. We are walking around it and that's when we notice......this isn't just someone's car anymore. This is our daughter's truck!!!!!!!!!!!! (I seriously did not think I would have this reaction while sharing this story with you...but my heart still is racing remembering this moment!)



That's when my mind just started going numb I suppose. 

As we kept walking towards the now visible Ambulance, I wasn't quite thinking clearly. David had to reach for my hand and pull me back from being hit by some passing cars even. All I could think is "How can this be happening? Cars turned over are serious! She just simply said 'Ive been in a wreck'. This isn't a wreck, this is a WRECK!!"

We found Savannah with the Fireman. He had put a neck brace on her and they were about to load her onto a stretcher. Still puzzled, I can't believe my eyes. She appeared to be visibly alright. She was shaking. She remained calm. As her mother, I wanted to reach out to her and hold her in my arms. I was SO thankful she was alive after seeing her truck and would be even MORESO thankful later as I heard the details of the story to follow. But....I couldn't. We, as her family, had, have, and will always love her dearly....but we were not close in fellowship. She was living with another family pretty much during that time. And it would be them who would reach out to her. That hurt deeply as her mother. But, I hold no remorse for this family. As she was placed on the stretcher and shaking....I simply reached out to touch her leg somehow hoping she knew just how very MUCH I cared.



Savannah was with a friend (daughter and neice to family reaching out to her) and so they both were transported to a hospital in another town. As I watched her ambulance go away, I just sat there and wondered helplessly what was happening to my daughter. David went and talked with the police and witnesses. The story goes as follows: Savannah and Jessi were leaving Chick Fila entering 1960. As they came upon the Will Clayton intersection, they both were talking and NOT noticing the very RED light in front of them. Savannah drove through the intersection and 1 van and 1 car hit her hard at the same time. This would send her truck spinning in circles AND rolling over several times before coming to a rest on it's side in the median, right beside a pole!

Jessi would later say that she could remember looking over and seeing Savannah's hair flying all over the place and wondering what was happening to them. Terrifying to say the least!! Once they came to a stop there were some friends that had seen the wreck and ran up to it. They first started trying to rock the truck back over. Once that wasn't accomplished, they got the passenger side door opened and tried to get the girls out. Savannah remembers smelling something and thinking her truck was about to catch on fire. No way was she going to burn alive! She tried to get Jessi to crawl out quickly, but apparently she was too dazed to move. That's when my dear daughter puts plan to action and actually crawls literally over Jessi and out the passenger door!!! They did get Jessi to crawl out as well. :)

In time, we arrived at the hospital. I was very anxious to hear how my daughter was and where she was. They were only allowing 2 people back at a time to talk to her. Again...WHAT is happening here....going through my mind! Heather, her sister, had receieved word about the wreck and actually beat us there to the hospital. She was back with her at the time. I went when allowed and found my daughter sitting up in bed smiling and talking as usual like nothing major had even happened! She had some minor cuts and scratches from the flying glass and probably some bruising later. I was so very THANKFUL!! I had to ask her if I could hug her....and again very THANKFUL I was that she let me!! It was quick, but it was a hug that I needed to give. I left her room and went back to the waiting area to do what you do in a waiting area......wait. Jessi, her friend, was complaining about a little more serious injuries. So we waited with her family. Before not too long, Savannah was released and comes walking out. She sat with us to wait to hear Jessi was going to be. In time, Jessi was released and both girls miraculously walked out and away from that hospital on their own!! We would later hear just how serious of a wreck that was through others as well as our insurance agency. Many, many people do NOT walk away from a wreck such as that....in fact many die!! These 2 girls were given a giant miracle as well as a very BIG BLESSING!! We hoped that we could and tried to convey that as much as possible to Savannah. She seemed to understand.

In the following days, we located her truck in a junk yard.

Can I just say here that as David and I came upon this truck in full daylight, the full reality and somberness of this event really hit us H A R D. There is just something about the fullness of a tragic situation being brought to full terms that makes you realize just what a beautiful blessing you have just been given. It was almost eerie looking at this mess and leaning inside the doors to realize what your precious child just went through.



Pictures don't always do justice, but here are some:

You can see the grass in the frame from rolling over.

That wheel is in the wrong place by the way!

Needless to say....the truck was totaled.

But thankfully....our daughter was not! :)

There is one very special picture I will leave with you as I close at this memory and story. This picture I share speaks a 1,000 words to this Mother. Although it may not speak as many to you, know that it holds a very dear place in my heart.

This picture was taken after the fact that this truck had not only spun, but rolled as well. This picture was also taken after the fact that this truck had been righted up, hoisted up, taken to a junk yard, and placed in the position it now was in. In this picture, you will see one penny lying in the driver's seat...my daughter's seat.

For those who know and those who don't know, pennies have meant so very much to me. For on them, as we know, it says In God We Trust. Each time I see a penny on the ground I pick it up and it to me it symbolizes a reminder that I CAN trust in God for He is there reminding me to and showing me that He is with me. So when I saw this one lone penny sitting there in her seat, it was as if God Himself was saying "See...just keep trusting me. I took care of her through this terrible accident. I will continue to take care of her as the days come and go." And in that I say ..... "Yes, God. I do and I will trust you. For YOU alone are trustworthy!" Although there have been bumps in the road and I don't always understand all that He allows and doesn't allow.....I will trust my heavenly Father. For in Him I find my hope.



Thanks for letting me share a very special time in my life.

I hope that in reading it, you also will find God to be trustworthy in your own life.

For He is.