Hope by Guest Jill Lynn

 by Jill Lynn

Sometimes I pick a word for the year. I haven’t in the last couple of years, but when 2022 rolled around, the word HOPE came with it for me. I wanted that word and the meaning behind it to be present in my life, so I latched on.

But then…2022 did not start easy for us. I’d planned to come out of the gate full of hope and ready for new things, for setting and meeting goals, for success. Instead, numerous things derailed those attempts. It felt like every time I turned around, something new was slapping at me like those scrubbers attacking my vehicle when I run it through the automatic wash.

I kept trying to stay afloat—to trust and hope—and I kept failing. I don’t know about you, but once I begin to fail, the slope is slippery. I can inch toward depression quite easily, and that is what I feared was happening.

But then one morning I opened my Jesus Calling devotional, and in the very week where my struggle had become huge, I read these words: Whenever you feel inadequate, remember that I am your ever-present Help.

Hope in Me, and you will be protected from depression and self-pity.

Those last two words—depression and self-pity—were what had been weighing me down. It had felt like having a boat anchor tied to my waste and with every step, I had to drag it around behind me.

How could God—infinite and quite busy with all that’s going on in the world—have known that I’d read those words on exactly that day? I wasn’t even on the correct day of the devotional. (I never am!)

It impacted me so much that what I was going through was exactly what God was speaking to me about.

The end of the devotion reads: Heaviness is not of My kingdom. Cling to hope, and My rays of Light will reach you through the darkness.

I love the imagery of light and dark, heavy and light.

I love that God cares about us so much that He’s constantly sending us messages and reminders of His love.

Sometimes it feels scary to hope. Does anyone else experience this? Like it’s easier to stay in the trenches and work hard and not expect too much…because expectations can be followed by such disappointments. As I was hanging up the phone with my parents the other day, we were talking about something important but not life and death. Something big but not overly huge. And my dad said: We’ll just pray for a miracle.

It made me pause. Aren’t miracles reserved for the big things? Should we “waste” a request for a miracle on the thing we’d been talking about?

And then I realized that HOPE says there are enough miracles to go around. Enough miracles for the big and the small things. What an amazing thought!

Ever since my dad’s comment, I’ve been praying for miracles. Wildly, without abandon. Without picking and choosing what to use my “miracle requests” on. It is so freeing. It is so full of HOPE.

How amazing to think that a devotional and an offhand comment can come together like that to remind me that not only is it okay to hope, it’s okay to hope about all the things all the time!

This month I’m celebrating my tenth Love Inspired book being in stores. It is also a story of HOPE: A man who believes he’s broken and not enough. A woman who is working so hard to honor her late brother that she’s losing herself along the way. A teenage boy who has lost his father and is seeking to fill the void. And a dog who’s ready to assist…as long as that assistance is accepted. One might even say a miracle takes place in the story. 😊 One of those middle-of-the-pack miracles that doesn’t register as life or death but that does register as life-changing.

If you happen to grab a copy of The Veteran’s Vow, I hope you enjoy it. 😉 Thanks for letting me be here today. It’s always a pleasure to stop by Seekerville!

Jill Lynn

Jill is giving away a copy of The Veteran's Vow. Simply leave a comment to be entered. (US mailing addresses only, please)

A little about The Veteran’s Vow: When service dog charity head Ellery Watson learns that Behr Delgado suffers from war-induced trauma regarding dogs, she determines to heal that trauma with the one dog who can change his world and assist with his physical disabilities. But she never expects that Behr's assistance with her nephew and impact on her life will heal her in return.

Get your copy here!

Jill pens stories filled with humor, faith and happily-ever-afters. She’s an ACFW Carol Award-winning author and has a bachelor’s degree in communications from Bethel University. An avid fan of thrift stores, summer and coffee, she lives in Colorado with her husband and two children, who make her laugh on a daily basis. Connect with her at Jill-Lynn.com or via her social media outlets.

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