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.
