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THE LONG JOURNEY TO HOPE

The following is an excerpt from the last chapter of my latest book, Uncommon Hope: The Path to an Epic Life.

 

 

In the struggle between the stone and water, in time, the water wins.

—Japanese Proverb

 

Throughout this book, I’ve done my best to encourage you. Hope

is always possible. Perhaps not easy, but not beyond your reach.

You truly can do more than just survive in life’s storms; you can thrive

in the midst of your darkest night. No matter what you feel like or

see around you, God is the “Father of compassion and the God of

all comfort.” He will never give up on you, so hope is yours for the

taking.

A few years ago, a young man named Toby came to me extremely

discouraged. He was unhappy with his wife and disheartened by his

lack of spiritual growth. And the icing on the cake was he had some

horrible habits.

Toby said, “It’s hopeless. My marriage will never change, and I

will never change.”

Here’s what I told him, and it’s true for all of us.

It takes three things to experience lasting change: 1) a desire; 2)

a choice; and 3) an encounter with God and the power of His Spirit.

No one changes until they want to change, and that has a lot to

do with our attitude and desire.

No one changes until they elect to change, and that has a lot to do

with our decisions and choices.

No one changes, truly changes at a heart and soul level, until they

cry out to God.

We humans have a way of doing what we want to do when we

want it badly enough. However, nothing happens until we make a

choice—often a daily choice—to do what must be done. And the key

to consistent success is empowerment by the Holy Spirit; He helps us

to do what we know we can’t do on our own.

Whatever your struggle, whatever your battle, whatever you’re

carrying from your past, dealing with in your present, or might face in

your future, remember that nothing is too hard for God. Absolutely

nothing. And always remember this: Uncommon hope comes from

knowing your pain is never wasted when God is in the mix.

Near the end of Paul’s letter to the church in Rome, he wrote to

Christians who were struggling, “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.”

That, my friend, is my desire for you. As you trust in Him, you

can and will experience a peace that seems ludicrous to a watching

world. And the more you trust God, the more the Lord’s hope will

overflow through you to others—not by your power, but by His.

Jesus loves you more than His own life and more than you can

imagine.

So, let hope rise in you as you fix your eyes on Him so you can live

the epic life He has planned for you.

It won’t always be easy.

But it will always be worth it.

 

LET ME PRAY FOR YOU

Jesus, we are broken, desperate, often confused, and hopeless without

you. Thank you for being so understanding, patient, and kind with

cracked jars of clay. Just as you pressed through your darkest moment

on the cross, help us to stay the course too. Help us remain fixed on

you. Help us when we are helpless and afraid. God of all comfort,

please wrap your arms around our hearts and hold us tight. We need

you. Always have. Always will. Amen.

 

 

If you like what you just read, please order my book today.

Amazon has it for sale at just $13.99.

Also, and for a limited time, the eBook version is only .99!

Here’s the link to Amazon.

If you’d rather use Barnes and Noble here’s that link.

Kurt Bubna

Kurt W. Bubna has published seven books, is an internationally recognized blogger, conference and retreat speaker, as well as an experienced life and leadership coach. Bubna has over forty years of experience working with individuals, teams, and a wide variety of business and non-profit organizations.