Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Hope (n) confident trust with the EXPECTATION of fulfillment.

When I was praying about my scripture verse for 2015 I felt led to a verse I’ve chosen before, in 2007, after my husband and I had the heartache of a miscarriage. It was a verse that comforted me and gave me hope. We were blessed with our daughter Chloe the following year. She is a good reminder that God’s plan is perfect, and I need to trust it. Now 8 years later, I’ve felt led to that verse again.

On February 11, 2011 my son Kelby, then 7 years old, had a stroke at the kitchen table. Through a whirlwind of doctor visits in Kansas City we were sent home, with the doctor saying to “enjoy him while we have him.” We were broken and our hearts hurt but we knew God was still in control. We continued to pray and felt led to Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. We went in April and heard the words that we longed to hear from the Pediatric Neurosurgeon, “I think we can help your son.” Six neurosurgeons before him had said they couldn’t do anything to help him, so you can imagine how ecstatic we were. Kelby had Gamma Knife brain surgery 9 days later. This surgery is a slow solution to the problem, meaning we’ve had to learn a “new normal” at our house while we wait for healing. During this time of waiting I adopted a quote:
“Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning to Dance in the Rain.” – Vivian Green

This quote reminds me that during this storm that started 4 years ago my responsibility is to put my Hope in God and Trust Him with this, therefore letting go of the overwhelming burden of it and being able to enjoy my life just as it is right now, therefore, “dancing in the rain,” enjoying life in the midst of the storm.

As we prepare for another trip to Mayo Clinic over Spring Break for another angiogram and Gamma Knife Brain Surgery scheduled, I need to be reminded “For I know the plans I have for you”- God knows what the doctor at Mayo will see in March, it’s not going to surprise God, and I trust Him and His plans, so I can rest in the assurance that God has this planned out, exactly as He sees fit according to his purpose. His word says “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” I trust His plans. They may not look exactly the way I would have written them (I’m pretty sure I would’ve left this chapter out if I were writing the plans for my life!) but I know his eternal perspective is so much better than my earthly one.

Someone shared with me this quote that describes this difference in perspective:
“Our life is like a stained glass window; sometimes all we see is a broken shard of glass, but when God looks at the big picture of our lives that shard of broken glass fits into the picture to create a beautiful masterpiece, and without it, the picture would not be as beautiful.”

What I sometimes see as broken glass, God sees as a vital piece to His masterpiece! So, even though I may have preferred to keep this chapter out of my life story, God’s plan is perfect. His plans promise hope and a future.
“Where there is Hope there is Faith, Where there is Faith, Miracles happen.”

My verse for 2015: Jeremiah 29:11-13
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.“


DeLynn Rice
Your Verse
What is your Scripture Verse of the Year?
Memorize it. Meditate on it.
Mark it on the wall of the service you attend.

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