Monday, October 19, 2015

Don't let setbacks steal your hope.

You know the stress you feel when your wallet is missing, or how much anxiety can rise up in you when you can't find your keys and you needed to be out the door ten minutes ago?  And then...the traffic jam that is almost guaranteed to follow?

Maybe it's that feeling when you're trying to get a really awesome dinner ready before your husband walks in the door and all of your kids are melting down around your ankles.

Or when you've got a rare moment to talk with that person whom you so highly respect, and then you say something really dumb...and you try to recover by throwing out a few more sentences that you'll run through your head a thousand times later, wishing you had just. stopped. talking.

Well, no matter how much you might be sweating while they're happening, those moments aren't the end of the world.  Life keeps on moving whether you're late or not.  Your family will survive if dinner if the chicken is dry and the would-have-been alfredo sauce tastes a little like Elmer's glue.  The person you said those silly things to probably doesn't even remember your conversation now.  And, it won't even kill you to apologize later if you decide that one of the silly things you said was actually insensitive or offensive.

Setbacks.  We all have them.  


It's October 19th.  A year ago today, a seemingly small twisted ankle changed my life forever.  I've been planning an anniversary post for you!  To share with you how incredibly well I've been doing.  To update you with how I've been walking nearly pain-free.  How I feel like I've gotten my life back.  It's been amazing.

And, as it turns out, I get to share some different news with you, instead.  About an unexpected relapse.  

A setback.  

Our prayer is that this is just minor...that it will turn back around quickly.  But as the pain has increased and my walking has decreased over the past two weeks, my emotions have taken a hit.  This is certainly not what I was expecting.  We knew that it was the nature of the disease.  But I had almost forgotten that I even had it.  It was just this slightly annoying thing that I had to routinely take medicine for.  

It may get worse.  It might turn right back around and level out again.  And as much as I don't want to have to think about the possibility of having to "walk" the road where I can't physically walk again, I trust God.  

This disease is pretty lame.  

And I've faced all sorts of setbacks because of it.  Some little.  Some pretty huge.

But I'm not going to let a setback set me back.  I won't let it steal the hope that I have.  

And you don't have to let setbacks set you back, either.

Setbacks can tempt us to stop.  Or to look back.  But what would happen if we kept on looking forward, even in the setbacks?

I know, it can seem impossible to tear your focus away from whatever is setting you back in this moment or in this season.  But, the Bible makes so many promises of hope to us if we know Jesus and give our lives to Him.




Here are a few of the reasons for the hope that I have.  Some of the truths that I coach myself through (over and over and over) when things get hard:  
  • This won't last forever.
    • When you meet Jesus face-to-face, you won't have any more pain.  Ever (Revelation 21:4).  
  • God's love for you is always stronger, closer, more overwhelming.
    • No setback of any sort can separate you from God's love (Romans 8:39).  
  • God will comfort you through everything, and you'll be able to comfort other people with the same comfort you receive
    • (2 Corinthians 1:3-5).
  • God knows what you need and will always give it to you.
    • (Philippians 4:19)
  • Suffering makes you stronger, and you can consider everything JOY because of that. 
    • The testing of your faith develops perseverance in you (James 1:2-4).  
  • Knowing Jesus is hope.
    • His love, His power, and what He can do for you and in you and through you is far beyond anything you could ask for or imagine. (Ephesians 1:17-23, 3:14-21).  

Then, I pick Bible verses that help me remember, and I write them down and put them in a places where I'll see them as I go throughout my day.


And I put songs in the background that drive the truth even deeper.



If you want more strategies for hanging onto hope and choosing joy, I'd love to have you walk in a new direction with me.  

What could joy--in every step--do for you life?

I'm getting ready to launch ToChooseJoy.com on November 25th, 2015.  

It's the new home for my blog, but it's much more than that...

Here's a sneak-peek into what I've got coming for you when ToChooseJoy launches:

  • Interactive Audio and Video Bible Studies (including FREE digital wall art from The Shop, as well as Digital and Printable Workbooks) that you can take with you on-the-go.
  • Access to FREE e-books, as they release, on all sorts of topics to help you focus and to fix your eyes on Jesus through the hectic, constant, surprising nature of your day-to-day life.
  • The Shop, where you can find inspiring prints and custom canvases.
  • Guidance on your spiritual journey, empowering you to strategically place the truth in your unique life--right where you need it most.

If any of that sounds interesting to you, I'd love for you to head over to ToChooseJoy.com right now and sign up for my email list.  When you do, you'll get a FREE digital 8x10 "Joy" print from The Shop.

Please share this post with your friends so they can come along on the journey with us!




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