It finally became evident that I would have to invest some of our resources in finding an Internet Service Provider as school began. Since the girls are both in college now and need access to it daily and the younger kids need it for their school lessons and research, it seems like a reasonable expense.
So here we go again, the school year in full swing for all five kids, and me trying to make ends meet between work, kids, everyday needs and keeping a roof over our heads. Sometimes I am very hard pressed and I feel like there is too much on my plate. It is easy to begin to feel hopeless. I wonder if I will ever feel like I have a cushion or if I will always be on the edge of overwhelmed.
Where is hope to be found? How do we live in such away that our children feel that there is hope? Lamentations is a powerful book filled with hope and chapter 3 is a magnificent resource for understanding many things about life, our circumstances, and the Lord's role in things. It is well worth the time you might take to give it a read. I warn you though it takes a while to get to the hope in Chapter 3. The first 18 verses describe utter hopelessness. The worst part is that the hopelessness comes from the Lord as a result of His righteous wrath against sin.
Verse 18 ends on the happy note:
So I say, "My strength has perished,
And so has my hope from the LORD."
You might ask what is the point of this happy blog? Well, I have had some experience with teaching and parenting and I have found that even the smallest of children need hope. Hope that they can please their parent. Hope that they can please their teacher. Hope that when we fail, somehow we can be restored. All of us need hope that we can get back in the good graces of those in authority over us. When we as adults show grace to those over whom we exercise authority, we are demonstrating the Love of God in a most tangible way.
After the first 18 verses, the writer gets to the good part. He remembers the grace of God and God's mercy...
Lamentations 3:19 Remember my affliction and my wandering, the wormwood and bitterness. 20 Surely my soul remembers And is bowed down within me. 21 This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope. 22 The LORD'S loving kindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. 24 "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore I have hope in Him." 25 The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, To the person who seeks Him. 26 It is good that he waits silently For the salvation of the LORD.
I often struggle to live with hope, but these verses help remind me of the source of my strength and hope. It helps me remember that my circumstances are not where I find hope, but my hope is in the Lord and He will never fail to keep His promises.
I am going to keep this blog short, and next time I want to share an experience that I had as a Children's Church Teacher. This experience had a profound impact on me and the way I do things. It shapes my thoughts and approach toward the people in my life. But, more on that later...
