Hopefully Yours?

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

‭‭Romans‬ ‭15:13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

‭‭”You are always so bubbly!”

“You are always smiling!”

“You are so positive!”

Oh friends, if only you knew. Most mornings it takes a few hits on the snooze button and tankard of coffee, and I still don’t feel joyful.

If only you knew how long it’s taken me to understand the depth of Romans 15:13; my joy and peace don’t come from circumstances. The ups and downs of life are much too unpredictable to supply me with a steady state of joy.

But God. He is a God of hope. I know this and I’ve experienced it. Yet I repeatedly put my hope and validation on things, happenings, feelings.

As the years flew by, I became complacent in my faith. What I didn’t do was trust Him with all the things, thoughts and dreams with relational depth. I didn’t ask Him to fill me to overflowing, and at first, I didn’t ask Him to use me to be a Hope Carrier, as we say at Valley Creek Church.

But God.

How He loves us. And He’s carried me through some huge, life-changing moments, good and not-so-good. Sometimes I need those reminders to buoy me up when I feel discouraged or worried.

As God is growing and maturing me to trust Him, my hope and joy is more present, and candidly, some days it’s a very intentional choice.

You know what I realized? Being intentionally cheerful and focused on my faith is hard, but living without hope is harder.

So, I choose joy. I hope you do too. ❤️

— Elise

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