HOPE

The whole world of blogging is very new to me. I have been reading blogs for awhile now, and it always amazes me that people can write and that people actually will read what they write down. Now I am blogging too.

Today I was reading a blog post about hope. Hope is such loaded word, especially for someone who feels like they have lost the hope they once had. Franchesca at Small Bird Studio started a blog hop for people to share about hope. She posed this question: "What small {or big!} miracles have brought you hope lately?"

This question got me to thinking about hope and if I have any right now. I know that I have hope in my Saviour and that even through this difficult time He is still my Comforter and Healer. But what miracles have I seen lately that have brought me hope?

One thing that comes to mind that brings me hope is seeing the new life happening around me. While it is still winter (and we had snow this morning) it has been warm enough that one of the trees in our back yard has started to bloom. This tree, that has looked dead for months, has new life. The Webster Dictionary defines hope as "to cherish a desire with anticipation." The desire I cherish with anticipation is the renewing of life with the coming of Spring. What a great reminder that all things will be made new. We see this each year with the coming of Spring.

I also have hope for all the new babies being born around me. I though after we came home without Emily that I would not be able to see a pregnant woman or new baby without crying or getting angry at God, but the reverse has happened. I find my smiling at the thought of brand new babies, and praying for the women I know who are pregnant, that their pregnancy will continue to go well and that they will have a safe delivery. I pray that they will never know the heart break that I do, AND I look forward to meeting all these new little ones in the coming months.

I also take great comfort in this verse. "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11
The Lord has not been surprised by any of what has happened to our family. We do not always understand why things happen to us, but I know that the Lord has a plan for my life and that of our family and I can have
HOPE in that.