Remember when...

I've been reading this book, "I Need Your Strength Lord", by Emilie Barnes. It was a gift from a friend when I learned I had BC and it's full of encouraging words of hope! It's a book about finding God's strength amid distressing circumstances.

I would like to share a little bit of the book with you!

"Remember when...

Children just love to play that game. They love to hear and tell and retell family stories, memorizing the particular set of happenings and experiences that made the family what it is. Children understand instinctively that hope for tomorrow is built on memories of yesterday.

In other words, though hope is a forward-looking quality, it is strengthened by looking backward---especially when we look backward with eyes of faith. The more you look back in gratitude for what God has done for you in the past, and the more you retell the stories of his work in your life, the more easily you'll believe that God will do good things in the future.

Our memories can be so short, sometimes---and I'm not talking about forgetting where we put the car keys! We forget so easily the laws God has given us for our own benefit, the guidelines that are intended to help us live in hope. We forget as well the gifts of grace that shape our lives---the miracles of help and encouragement and redemption that keep us moving around and between and beyond the barriers in our lives. And this forgetfulness is one of the primary reasons we lose hope.

And so it's important to look back and remember. It's important to tell and retell the stories of who we were and what God has done in our lives and what he requires of us. The more care we take in preserving these tales of how God has worked in the past, the more powerful and realistic our hope will be---and the more hope we'll be able to share with others.

It really works. As we tell each other such stories, recounting the times we've seen God work in our lives---our discouragement fades and our hope grows more confident."

YOUR WHOLE LIFE CAN BE A STORY OF HOPE IF YOU LEARN HOW TO HEAR IT AND TELL IT! ~Emilie Barnes

So, my friend, what has God done for you in the past that gives you hope for the future? I would love to hear your stories of hope!

I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds. Your ways, O God, are holy. What god is so great as our God? You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the people. ~Psalm 77:11-14