Hope
Regret causes us to repeat a litany of “if onlys”: “if only I had tried harder to make the marriage work…,,” “If only I had gone to the doctor sooner, when I first noticed the symptoms…,” “If only I had not spoken in such anger….”
Regret keeps the wounds of loss from healing, putting us in a perpetual state of guilt.
If I want transformation I must let go of my regrets over what could have been and pursue what can be.
Jerry Sittser
Despair may be bound to God, but so is all hope. Despair that rises in a direct and vertical line to God opens us up to change, real hope, and the possibility of seeing God as he really is, not as we want him to be.
Joni Eareckson Tada
Are you trying to deal with a crisis by yourself? While we must exercise wisdom when it comes to sharing our personal issues, we were not made to carry burdens alone. Yes, we have the Lord, but he gave us people…. We need trusted friends and loved ones to help us shoulder the load.
Ruth Graham
My brother-in-law wisely observed that if I really wanted to protect myself from accidents I should lock myself inside an antiseptic bubble and live there for the rest of my life. But who would want that? Better to brace myself for accidents and endure them as best I can. Better to give up my quest for control and live in hope. Maybe that is why most people seem to weather loss so well. They learn to live in hope.
Jerry Sittser
Being paralyzed has really made heaven come alive. Not in a cop-out way, but in a way that makes me want to live better here because more is coming there.
Joni Eareckson Tada
Eventually, I discovered I was not the only one in church whose life had taken unwelcome turns. I was not the only one who had missed opportunities. I was not the only one who had sinned. In particular, I found that when others were honest with me about their faults and imperfections, I became more comfortable sharing my own mistakes…. That is when real ministry and healing take place.
Ruth Graham
I have often imagined my story fitting into some greater scheme, the half of which I may never fathom. I simply do not see the bigger picture, but I choose to believe that there is a bigger picture and that my loss is part of some wonderful story authored by God himself.
Jerry Sittser
Because everyone knows something about problems and pain, we can be certain the Bible is speaking to all of us when it speaks about suffering, no matter how much or how little we have had to endure.
Joni Eareckson Tada
Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him.
Psalm 62:5
Jesus said, “With God all things are possible.”
Matthew 19:26
Hope that is seen is not hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
Romans 8:24–25
Though [God] slay me, yet will I hope in him…Indeed, this will turn out for my deliverance.
Job 13:15–16
I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.
Romans 8:18