Get Your Hopes Up!

Does hope live in your heart? Is it alive and real to you?

Hope has been in my heart a lot recently and I want to share what I’ve learned and been reminded! First off, read this verse – isn’t it lovely?!

“No, the Lord’s delight is in those who fear him, those who put their hope in His unfailing love.” – Psalm 147:11

We Must Get Our Hopes Up

I know that we are supposed to hope in the Lord. And I know that we are supposed to have hopeful hearts and be enthusiastic! One of my sisters has a mug that says, “Always expect the best – God is in the habit of delivering” and I love that mug, that reminder!

But let me also consider with you what we have all been told before. An opportunity, a possibility, comes along and we are energized and excited about the potential! Then along comes someone, meaning to protect us from disappoint and truly meaning well. “Don’t get your hopes up,” they remind us. I think we have all probably been told that numerable times in life.

And I get it, I understand. Those who love us don’t want to see us become sad and depressed when opportunities fall through or possibilities don’t work out. And if they can help save us from having unreal expectations to begin with, then the devastation of the vision lost is not as enormous, right?

But What Does God Say?

Let me share with you what God’s Word says:

“O Israel, hope in the Lord; for with the Lord there is unfailing love. His redemption overflows.” – Psalm 130:7

In essence, “Get your hopes up!”

Someday, Maybe

This week I have been presented with an incredible opportunity – one that I have imagined, I have dreamed of, but quite honestly, I hadn’t dreamed of it in the here and now or in my current circumstances. I just hadn’t.

It was a “someday” dream. I truly expected it to happen, but not now – it wasn’t within the realm of possibilities to me now.

This dream is a dream that I’ve shared on the blog before here (How to Always Keep Learning and Improving Yourself).

It’s like this dream that was presented to me – I don’t know where it came from – only that it must be from God! One day it seemed to be placed in my heart – not like a whim or a passing ‘ooh, wouldn’t that be something’! But more of a ‘this is something that God has for me’!

This dream is enormous and very real to me! And to be considering it in the here and now is truly unreal! It’s amazing and thrilling – and yet enormous and intimidating. Do you have any dreams like that? Let me just encourage you not put limits on the dreams that God has put in you! Hope in the Lord!

Next week I’ll share more of this story – I want the reality of the power of hoping and anticipating wonderful things to really sink in for you! God doesn’t have any limits! And remember to hope for the best – because God is in the habit of delivering!

Until Next Week!

Hope.