Author: Hope Surrendered

Finding Hope in Obedience to His Calling

~ Hope Surrendered ~ 3 Comments

ProcrastinationBook.HS.Original

Yes. I know. There has been another lull in my posting.

Perhaps I should apologize. Not necessarily to you, though.
I need to apologize to Him.
Repent, if you will.

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I’m a good starter, but I’m not always a good finisher. I enjoy the creative process and what follows to get ideas off the ground, but I’ve had to learn to be the type of person who submits the final report or finishes the project to the end. I don’t have an issue with this when it comes to doing a project for another person, for a group or for a supervisor; my issue shows itself when I do something for me. I guess you could call me a “procrastinator” of sorts — when it comes to my own projects, ideas, tasks or to-do list. I have a theory as to why I am this way … and perhaps I’ll share that with you some time in the future!

(My husband, many years ago, bought me a book about overcoming procrastination. I had every intention of reading it. Years after that, he found it, saw I had never read it, and tried to give it away to a book drive for charity. I pulled it out of the box with every intention of finally reading it. Surprise! I never did. It’s on my “list” of “I’ll get to it” items.)

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So why the lull … again? I wrote about this once before. This time, it’s not about listening to my calling; it’s about being obedient to my calling.

I’m struggling with baring my soul.

It was easier to write when my audience only knew me via the web. Now my audience is a mix of friends, family, acquaintances, strangers AND those who found me on the web. Sometimes it’s easier to be more open with those who don’t really know you. It can be tough to be open and reflective with those who see you at the post office, sit beside you in Bible studies, live over the mountain, catch a status, read a tweet or remember you when you wore your hair in piggy tails.

My calling hasn’t changed. I still feel as though He is leading me to share how I’ve surrendered my own hopes to Him in an effort to seek His will, strengthen my walk and live out the life He has planted within me. My audience, however, has changed.

Some of you are reading these posts …
… because you are on your own hope-filled journey
… because you want to follow my journey.
… because you know me.
… because a friend recommended you to me.
… because you want to support me as He’s called (thank you!!).
… because you want to see my cracks.

Additionally, some of you are reading these posts …
… because you are cheering for me through life’s challenges.
… to hold something over me.
… to take credit for something in my life.
… to see if I’m genuine.
Some of you are reading to see if I’ll crumble.

And then, there are some out there who aren’t reading these posts at all … some of whom I wish would be reading them.

These things are all a part of putting oneself out there. I know that. I’m just being really honest when I say that it makes it tough to write sometimes. Rather than write, I procrastinate. I start a lot of posts, but I am challenged to finish them.

So why SHOULD I bare a part of my seeking soul here on the web? Some of the reasons to choose to do so have been of my own doing, and some have not. The answer could be for many of the reasons listed above. If I were to find a hypothetical, big, ol’ glass bottle, and if I were to insert the mish-mash of reasons into it, and if I were to shake it all up and see which reason would rise to the top, well …

His calling for me would be the reason that would rise to the top.

The method of our calling does sometimes change, but, as believers, our purpose for being called does not.

We’re called to live our lives in such as a way as to point back toward Him.

No, we don’t all have to write a blog as a part of the process. I could live my life more quietly by picking and choosing who knows some or any of the details. I could walk a fine line to be seen but not heard. I just feel I’ve been led to reach out to others by sharing parts of how I find my hope, which, every now and then, leads others to reach back to me for prayer, confirmation, guidance and God-honoring input. Maybe, just maybe, some of you are finding a kind of hope in your own life by reading and pondering what I share.

Ann Voskamp, author of the book One Thousand Gifts (which you can find at DaySpring or Amazon), wrote in her five-session Study Guide to the book (which you can also find at DaySpring or Amazon),

“When we receive gifts, grace, and joy, and give them to others, we are fresh and filled with life. And when we receive, take and hold on to the good gifts of God and never pour out for others, we become bitter and toxic.”

So, even if all of those other reasons I listed above challenge me and cause me to occasionally feel as though I’m under a magnifying glass, and if being obedient to His calling points back toward Him, honors Him, honors His blessings in my life and honors others, then I need to move forward. I feel “fresh and filled with life” when I follow His calling in obedience, and I don’t want to become “bitter and toxic” by failing to recognize or share the grace, gifts and joy I’ve received from Him in abundance.

… which means I should be obedient to His calling on this season of my life.

It also means I’ll seek to write more … for your sake, for my sake and for His glory.

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Finding Hope in Spring

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Spring has sprung.2.3 - Copy

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Please feel free to share, download or borrow.
I only ask that you not alter the photo and that credit is linked or referred back to Hope Surrendered.
Thank you!

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Finding Hope in the Passing and Gaining of Time

~ Hope Surrendered ~ 3 Comments

Clock.TimeGainedThe clock ticks. Time passes.

It sits on the shelf in my library. I never wanted a formal living room — I just didn’t see the need for one. I like turning the pages of books, and we had all collected quite a few over the years, so we set a goal to — one day — make that barren room a library. Today it is … rolling ladder, hourglass, floor globe, classics and all.

The ticking of the clock takes me to thoughts, experiences, cultures, worlds and places I might never visit. Time passes, but it does so in a different dimension.

The hands on the clock move, and the sugar-white grains of sand flow through the bulb of the hourglass. I’m getting older, but time doesn’t seem to be passing by and running out. Time seems to be passing by and gaining.

How can that be?

I know … sounds crazy, but it isn’t. If I reflect back on my life a decade ago, there never seemed to be enough time. … never enough time to finish what needed to be done, therefore, there was very little time left over to take on what I might have wanted to have done.

Life changes. Is there less to do today? Is there less to finish now, a decade later?

No. If I answer that honestly, there are probably even more things on the plate of life.
… more to finish,
… more that needs to be done,
… more that I wish to experience
… more that I want to have done.

Blessings. They fill the plate. Even with all the things on the plate, blessings heap it high and pile over the sides.

The mundane items,
the “needs to be done” items,
the “have to do it now” items …
… they share space on that plate with the “want to do it” items,
the “I can’t wait to do it” items,
and the “what a blessing” items.

Visible — some more than others — are also the “I don’t want to deal with this” items and the “really, God?” items.

It’s a jumbled smorgasbord.

That plate, though, is seasoned with wisdom. It’s garnished with discernment. It sits on a charger of faith, and it is seated at a place setting of blessings.

… and those blessings? Time taken to recognize them, to appreciate them and to give thanks for them seems to slow down the ticking of that clock on the shelf.

How can that be?

My youngest just celebrated a teenaged birthday that places him at the point of straddling youth and manhood in one spot? I see it in his body, in his mind and in his choices. How can that be? Where has time gone? Has it been lost to who he was when I held him, nursed him and comforted him? Or, has it been gained when I take a moment to realize who he is becoming, and when I see — right before my eyes — a glorious glimpse of what his future may hold?

Time used to mean yesterday, today, tomorrow, next week, next month or next year. Time is still all of those things, but, these days, it’s also the decades ago, the yesterdays, the challenges, the memories, the hurts, the healings, the smiles, and the heartaches. It’s also the hopes, the dreams and the eternity that is yet to come.

Time doesn’t stand still, but time has come to mean breathing in and breathing out in an attitude of opportunity. Time has been multiplied through knowing it all has a season of worthiness … something to be gained, something to be grabbed hold of, something to be worked for good.

Time is gained when we live a life appreciating the blessings.
Time is gained when we live a life learning from our challenges.
Time is gained when we live a life with expectant hope of what is to come.

The clock ticks. The hands move. Time passes. Time is gained.

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The Gratefulness Elixir

~ Hope Surrendered ~ 1 Comment

Elixir.COMPRESSED

I’ve been sick for the last few days. There’s nothing like a quick-onset illness to stop one in their tracks.

I coughed a few times while getting settled for bed on Monday night. On Tuesday morning, I wasn’t feeling quite myself when I was getting ready to head to my women’s Bible study. I needed to drop something off at my daughter’s place after the study was over, and I realized on my drive home that my body wasn’t quite right.

When I walked into the house, I immediately went to the freezer to get a couple of quarts of homemade, concentrated chicken broth. I chopped two enormous sweet onions, a dozen carrots, a head of celery, and I quick-defrosted a pound of chicken breasts. It all went into a soup pot with some garlic and salt to start my elixir. (I added lots of kale, chard and spinach later.)

By the time my prep was done, I knew there would be no stopping whatever ailment was overtaking me — chills were beginning to set in. I felt a sense of immediacy about getting a few things done, as the last time I had this feeling, I wasn’t myself again until six weeks later.

Thankfully, I am coming out of this one much faster. Being sick is never fun, but it does present us with opportunities to appreciate, reflect, pray and ponder.

My guys were all here to take care of me. They brought me glass after glass of icy water with a lime slice, they kept the house quiet for me, and they made me what little food I felt like eating whenever I asked for it. I’m grateful for my family.

My pup provided me with her always-unconditional love, not wanting to leave my bed or my side when I managed to make it out to the sofa in the family room. It also seemed like one of the cats wanted more attention from me during my downtime. The personality contrasts between the “let me just be near you” from the dog and the “puh-lease just scratch me more and more” from the cat are startling, but it made me realize I was calling on my family to take care of me during this time in the same way the cat was calling on me to rub him more than usual. I’m grateful for the pets.

Although not often, I was on the computer to check email and social media. A number of friends and family members sent me messages or texts to check in, sent well-wishes or sent their prayers. I’m grateful for my friends.

I wasn’t able to attend my mid-week Bible study, but I still felt alert enough to spend some time in the Word and work on some study homework. I’m grateful for the desire to know Him more.

There are always blessings around us. When the busyness has to stop or slow down due to an unexpected illness, circumstance or bump in the road, there are still reasons to be thankful.

Chicken soup can be a wonderful elixir, but so can gratefulness.

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Monday’s Musings — Metal Spheres & Choices

~ Hope Surrendered ~ 5 Comments

Newton'sCradle.Choices.HSHave you ever stopped to stare at one of these scientific pendulum contraptions?

… to look at the way the spheres move? … how they collide with one another? … how they are impacted by one another?

Pick up the device (it’s known as “Newton’s Cradle”) to rock it back and forth, and all the spheres will stay stuck to one another and move in perfect harmony.

Pick up one ball, and, via the outside force of fingers releasing a ball, it will connect with the second ball to create a dynamic that impacts the remaining three.

Pick up two balls, and, when released, they will stay together and work together impacting and absorbing the motion of the remaining three balls.

Even if shaken, the balls will quickly find their way back into order.

The response varies depending on the force and how it is used, but there is still a response. There is always a response. … even when the motion slows and the balls come to a complete rest, there is still a motion happening in the group.

In one of these little scientific devices, we can observe harmony and how the spheres seem to work WITH one another!

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But something else happens, too. If you play with the device long enough, you will see that the balls aren’t always working in harmony with one another, but that they are reacting to the force exerted on them by the other balls.

Life.

Life does this to us.

Another’s choices, words, actions or deeds hit us hard, and we are caught in the fallout.

Our own thoughts lead to choices, words, actions, or deeds that change life forever — for us and for those around us.
… never to be the same again …
Time and forgiveness — offered or received — will help, but life will still always be different.

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So, is it harmony or fallout?

When life impacts us,
when another’s choices impact us,
when life changes forever,
how do we respond?

We do have a choice.

We’re not just a metal ball hanging on a string from a wire frame bracing for the impact. We’re not just a sphere stuck in the middle waiting to see what those around us do.

We do have a choice. We have a choice in how to respond to what has been done to us. And, if we’ve done it to another, we have a choice in how to proceed forward with the impact we have made.

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Life is about choices.

As much as we want to blame another person, fill our thoughts with “what-ifs,” dream of a rewind, wish it away or ignore it all, that’s not what we’ve been given in this present moment.

Life is about choices, and today is about choices. … making choices that lead to living the kind of life where joy, peace and hope can take root and take hold.

The choices we make today can create a harmony around us, or, the choices we make today can create yet another level of fallout.

I need to choose wisely … we all do.

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