31dayfour

By mid-morning, I was circling my living room with my arms raised in victory like Rocky. I conquered writing two long pieces for publishing before I drained my tea pot. After dinner, I was repeating the same stance. I finished my book proposal, save a few hours of editing.

Productivity and feeling a sense of accomplishment does some good work toward hopefulness. Writing is saving me from swimming in a cesspool of despair during our waiting season.

In Soul Cravings, Erwin McManus writes that hope exists only in the future, and if the future does not exist, there is no hope. When we have hope we have a sense of destiny.

“For some people, the contrast between the life they have and the life they long for is more than they can bear . . . It’s not enough for us to merely exist, we are compelled to achieve.” ~Erwin McManus

This long period of waiting in the tension of what is and what we hope for in London is a serious mental battlefield people.

When things aren’t going the way we’d like or envision, despair is the prostitute wooing us. Instead of pressing through the pain of disappointment and trusting God will take care of us, we are tempted to carelessly select easy satisfaction; take destiny into our own hands giving her pimp validation.

The counterfeit for joy is choosing temporary pleasure. In the end, it leaves us emptier with unsatisfied longings.

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How do we push back the darkness?

We respond in the opposite spirit preventing a stronghold of the enemy.

Instead of focusing on the negatives, we find grace in thankfulness. Instead of fretting in comparison, we bless those who are successful. Instead of hoarding our possessions, we give them away to the needy.

Though we are without income, I thank God for running water, food in the refrigerator and electricity.

I help my writing friends launch their wonderful books and trust God with the outcome of my proposal.

Instead of selling our Christmas trees and decorations we give them away to Habitat for Humanity.

I choose to believe that even when I reach milestones of accomplishment there is still more to be grasped because God’s character is immutable and his abilities infinite.

There is always Hope and Hope never disappoints. Ask me how I know that.

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He led them by a straight way till they reached a city to dwell in. Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man! For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things. Psalm 107: 7-9

rb31daysenglandI won’t be sharing my posts on social networking channels daily because who wants to see that much of me, really? If you want to follow our adventure to London subscribe to the blog in the side bar and posts will slide quietly into you inbox. Start from the beginning of the series here.