Up Against a Wall

While we were at the grocery store, my wife (Bobbi) and I decided it was much more convenient to buy a seven and a half ounce bottle of Taco Bell mild sauce than to hold onto the tiny packets left over from previous fast food runs.[i]

Looking at the bottle, I wondered if how many people were uncertain if the words pictured (in regards to their life) was a myth or reality. “It only gets better from here.”[ii]

“Darkness comes. In the middle of it, the future looks blank. The temptation to quit is huge. Don't. You are in good company... You will argue with yourself that there is no way forward. But with God, nothing is impossible. He has more ropes and ladders and tunnels out of pits than you can conceive. Wait. Pray without ceasing. Hope.[iii]

Our uniqueness, our individuality, and our life experience molds us into fascinating beings. I hope we can embrace that. I pray we may all challenge ourselves to delve into the deepest resources of our hearts to cultivate an atmosphere of understanding, acceptance, tolerance, and compassion. We are all in this life together.[iv] Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.”[v]

“When hope is crushed, the heart is crushed, but a wish come true fills you with joy.”[vi]The Heavenly Father is in the business of being your source of hope. Have you thought to ask Him for life-giving rays of it lately? “Be brave. Be strong. Don’t give up. Expect God to get here soon.”[vii]

“Hope is a state of mind, not of the world. Hope, in this deep and powerful sense, is not the same as joy that things are going well, or willingness to invest in enterprises that are obviously heading for success, but rather an ability to work for something because it is good.[viii] Hope is the magic carpet that transports us from the present moment into the realm of infinite possibilities.”[ix]

It is crucial to remember that your hope can often be dependent on those people you associate with. “You must constantly ask yourself these questions: Who am I around? What are they doing to me? What have they got me reading? What have they got me saying? Where do they have me going? What do they have me thinking? And most important, what do they have me becoming? Then ask yourself the big question: Is that okay? Your life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change.  [x]

Stay positive and happy. Work hard and don't give up hope. Be open to criticism and keep learning. Surround yourself with happy, warm and genuine people.”[xi]

How can you make your life a conduit for hope daily? “Infuse your life with action. Don't wait for it to happen. Make it happen. Make your own future. Make your own hope. Make your own love. And whatever your beliefs honor your creator, not by passively waiting for grace to come down from upon high, but by doing what you can to make grace happen yourself, right now, right down here on Earth.”[xii]

The yummy inspiration

 

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[i] The term “up against a wall” refers to being in a very bad position or situation. (www.merriam-webster.com)

 

[ii] Larger quotes will be in Candara font as opposed to the normal Arial font so that those individuals wishing to know the difference between my writing (and another author) will be able to visually tell the difference quickly.

 

[iii] Quote by John Piper

[iv] Quote by Linda Thompson

[v] Quote by Albert Einstein

 

[vi] Proverbs 13:12 (GNT)

 

[vii] Psalm 31:24 (MSG)

 

[viii] Quote by Vaclav Havel

 

[ix] Quote by H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

[x] Quote by Jim Rohn

 

[xi] Quote by Tena Desae

 

[xii] Quote by Bradley Whitford