What do you do when bad news threatens to overwhelm you?
The spring my friend Yvonne heard that she had terminal cancer she was devastated. “I won’t plant any flowers then,” she said. “I mean, what’s the point, I won’t see them bloom anyway.”
But sitting around and moping didn’t feel right either. One day she said to herself, “I was born with a death sentence—all of us are. But I’m not going to sit here and wait for it to happen. I want to live each day to the full. I will continue to grow flowers. If I don’t see them bloom, my neighbors will.”
And for seven more years, Yvonne’s yard looked like a flower garden. There were roses of exquisite colors, hanging baskets of petunias, beds of geraniums and impatiens.
“What really helps my peace of mind is to cling to Bible verses that speak of God’s loving plan for our lives,” she said. Verses such as:
“You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.” (Psalm 139:16 LAB).
“The days of the blameless are known to the LORD…” (Psalm 37:18).
“The steps of the godly are directed by the LORD. He delights in every detail of their lives.”
(Psalm 37:23 LAB)God is writing the book of my life and He holds the hour-glass of time. I will not die one minute before he says so, and when I do, He will welcome me to my eternal Home.”
Yes! We serve a God of hope not despair.
“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.” (Romans 15:13).
by Helen Grace Lescheid
Used by Permission
Further Reading
• Hope for Those without Hope – by Mike Woodard
• Hope for a Hopeless World – Devotional by Terry Stead
• HOPE – A Devotional by Gail Rodgers
• Hope in God– by Darren Hewer
• Your Hope in Him is Never in Vain – by Doug Lim