Tag: trusting God

Choosing Hope

TalkingAmongFriends.com by Rebecca Yauger Choosing Hope blogIt’s a tough time in our world – chaotic, confusing, and disheartening. It’s easy to get negative and cynical, and definitely easy to question God and His plan for us.

Generally, I’m someone who has a positive attitude, and I do my best to see all sides of an issue, or try to understand another’s point-of-view before I shoot my mouth off (I’m not always successful in this!). But lately, that’s been difficult to do, especially with the erupting anger and unrest right now. That anger blinds us to all sides of the issues we’re facing.

Is there a solution?

For me, I’ve turned off the news and opened my Bible. I’m reading in Psalms, which is perfect for time likes these. There are Psalms of lament, of being frustrated, and even angry at God. And guess what? It’s okay to be angry at God, to ask questions and wonder what the heck He’s doing. He can take that.

But there are also many Psalms of hope, and that’s what I’m clinging to these days.

I think we need to look for the good that’s around us. The cyclone of negativity is strong right now, and you can all too easily get swept up in it. Pretty soon, all you’ll see is the bad and the negative side of things. You can forget to see the good.

Is constantly looking for the good a silly attitude to have in the face of real-world problems? Perhaps. But to me, attitude has always been half the battle.

Your attitude can determine what your entire day looks like. If we’re caught in the continuing cycle of negativity, then we fail to see the good stuff. We fail to see God’s presence. However, if we try to be positive and have hope, then the lens in which we’re viewing the world can change.

And maybe our positive attitude, and our spirit of hope, can change our little corner of the globe.www.TalkingAmongFriends.com Rebecca Yauger Choosing Hope blog

Now, if you think I’m not seeing the real world, that I’m only looking through rose-colored glasses, don’t be fooled. I definitely have my down days – my days of lamenting, like so many writers in the book of Psalms. I’ll shake my head and not understand the division among us. However, this doesn’t mean I don’t have faith. I still believe God is working through all of this mess. I believe that we’ll come out of this, and that we’ll be stronger together, instead of tearing each other apart.

In the long run, I have faith. That’s the hope I have to have, the positive attitude that I think is worth sharing.

So, for today, I choose hope.

 

 

Stubborn Faith (Video and Text)

To follow-up on my post on Rediscovering Fierce Faith, I talk about having a stubborn faith in this video to help us through this pandemic (and more!).

(Please note, this originally posted on Instagram last week. I’m just slow on posting here on my blog page).

Thanks for checking in!  Text from video is below.

Video Link: CLICK HERE

To purchase “Fierce Faith” book from Amazon – click on the picture below

Stubborn Faith Video Text:

Hey everyone. On my most recent post on TalkingAmongFriends.com, I talked about a book that I’m rereading called Fierce Faith by Alli Worthington. And it’s a book about facing your fears and overcoming anxiety and wrestling with your worries.

Now, the first time I read this I was in caregiving mode. My parents had health issues, and my brother was battling cancer. All are well today, thankfully. At the time, I was going not only from house to house, but from state to state to help care for them.

Today, of course, we’re in a very different situation with this worldwide pandemic. I’m in a different place as I’m reading this book. And even though I’m doing okay. And I’m okay with this Shelter in Place Order. We’re very blessed my husband’s able to work from home I’m able to work from home, we’re still doing very well. There’s still some days that are harder than others, where I’m, I don’t know, sadder or more restless, or depressed, maybe some combination of the above. You know you just can’t go and do safely. So sometimes there’s a feeling of weariness that comes over you.

My church has been doing online daily devotionals and the pastor this one day, talked about stubborn faith. And that really resonated with me: stubborn faith. Maybe because I never realized that stubbornness might be a good trait after all, something positive to have. And I realized it’s going to take a stubborn faith or a fierce faith to get us through this pandemic, even though there are tough days, the days where I do feel weary, or even feel a little sad.

Those are the days that you need to turn to the one who’s really control, you need to turn to God. And God will give you the strength you need to get through this. Now what I’ve learned is that he’s not going to give you the strength you need all at once to get through this entire pandemic. He’s going to give you the strength you need for today. It’s like when he provided manna. He provided food for the Israelites in the desert. He only gave them a daily portion. He didn’t give them any to store up.

I think that’s what we need to remember now. We need to go to God daily and ask for the portion of strength we need to get through today.  I’ll worry about tomorrow when the dawn comes. I just need to get through today, and I need to get through today with God’s help, trusting that God’s in control, trusting He has a plan and he’s still here for us. And he’s going to give me that fierce stubborn faith to get through this today. Something to think about. Anyway, take care of yourselves. Stay well, and we’ll see you next time on TalkingAmongFriends.com.

God is Still Here

The world has turned upside down, hasn’t it? Most everything in our lives has changed and it’s hard to wrestle with that change.

Maybe that’s why I’m struggling so much to write these days or to find any kind of structure at home. I’m wrestling with the changes in our lives.

It’s not just wrestling with change. It’s wrestling with guilt, as well. Guilt that both my husband and I are still working and can both work from home. Guilt that we have enough to eat and have a roof over our heads, when others have lost their jobs and continue to struggle through this crisis. If my biggest issue is getting used to my husband being at home instead of being gone 12 hours a day, then I’m just a spoiled girl.

Along with change and guilt, there’s the issue of just missing my friends. Yes, we’ve started chatting with each other over Zoom, but it’s not the same as picking up the phone to say let’s have lunch or let’s all go to dinner, or let’s see a movie. Everything has changed and changed quickly. It’s going to take some time to adjust to that change.

And of course, there’s sorrow, sadness, and fear. This pandemic is real, people are losing their lives, and you never know if it’s going to hit your family next. The uncertainty is disconcerting to the say the least. No wonder I feel off-balance these days.

Some of the change is good. And I always try to hone in on the good things. The focus on families, time together, and only on the essentials that we need is good.  The overspending, overbuying, too much busyness, going 90 miles per hour from one event to the next, I think it’s good that we all have to slow down and refocus on what’s truly important.

However, like I mentioned above, I miss friends, and just the act of getting together for dinner. I miss the ease of leaving my home and going where I please.

Even though, I know deep inside, the slowing down, the simplifying of our life, is a good thing, there is a part of me that’s in mourning for what was. And I think it’s okay to mourn our old life, even with good things happening through this awful pandemic. The focus on the good, and the focus on the gratitude will get us through this.

At Last Sunday’s church service (thankful they can stream on-line so we can still “go to church”), our pastor talked about basically having an “anchor” verse. Having a piece of Scripture that you can hang on to during these uncertain times. I’ve seen many Scriptures on Facebook and across social media. All are good. The first one that came to mind for me was Jeremiah 29:11-13. Most of us are familiar with Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV): “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.”

So, yes, we can trust that God has a plan for us. But to me, I love the two verses that follow, verses 12-13: “Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

How comforting it is to know that we can continue to call on the Lord, pray to him and he listens! That we can find him if we seek him with all of our heart. What good news that truly is these days.

The world may be upside down and the future is very uncertain. We’re treading on unfamiliar territory. But God is the same. And God is still here. We just need to take advantage of this enforced slow down in our lives to seek him and be grateful for our families and for our time together. God is still here.

Easy to Fall, Harder to Get Up

So far, the posts on this blog this year have been about resolutions, starting again, frustration, — all the things associated with a new year. Last week, I talked about being a pinball wizard, or more accurately, being the ball that’s bounced around in a pinball machine.

Well, as life would have it, I just got bounced!

I’ve been dealing with an ankle injury since last summer – a combination of tendinitis and a severe ankle sprain. I ended up in a boot, on a knee scooter, then graduated to an ankle brace and strengthening exercises.

My Mom and I laugh at our matching hot pink walking accessories!

Usually, I’m a beast about physical therapy (a compound femur fracture from a motorcycle accident, and a double mastectomy teach you how wonderful the results of physical therapy are!). But this time, I wasn’t as consistent. When I did my strengthening exercises, it was good and I was getting stronger, but consistency is key.

You can probably see where this is going.

The other day I was walking into church at a pretty good clip, and something popped in my ankle. “Ow!” I don’t know what it was, but it sure didn’t feel good. Leaving church, I was a little hobbled walking across the parking lot. Although I tried to ignore the reality, the truth was, I had re-injured my ankle.

I had a setback because I didn’t do what I was supposed to do. Now, there’s no way to know that if I had done all my strengthening exercises, I wouldn’t have re-injured my foot. However, the chances are good that at least the pain and tenderness might have been less.

It’s not easy to do what we’re supposed to do, even if it’s good for us. It’s easier to be lazy, or eat junk food, or blow off my daily devotion. But eventually, things will come back to bite you, and you’ll have to begin again, further away from your goal than you would’ve been had you been disciplined all along.

So, what’s the big lesson?  I say it’s don’t get discouraged when you have a setback. All through scripture, God says not to be afraid or discouraged. We can be inspired by what David tells his son, Solomon, in 1 Chronicles 28:20 (NIV): “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God is with you.” David’s instructions to his son are the instructions we might hear from any parent advising their child, and they’re good words for navigating life.

I have faith that things work for good. In fact, this ankle issue might be just the push I need to get back to regular exercise. In my experience, I feel better when I exercise, and when I have my daily devotions, and when I’m doing what I need to do. The discouragement begins when I stop.

Today, I start again to fight off the pinball effect of being bounced around. We’re reminded in Galatians 6:9 (NIV): “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

How about you? Has there been a time when you fell and had to get up again? Was it motivating or did it make you want to quit?

Let me hear from you.