Now faith brings our hopes into reality and becomes the foundation needed to acquire the things we long for. Hebrews 11:1 TPT
Faith, hope and love are intricately linked. Faith if believing for the impossible. Hope is a confident assurance of a good outcome. Love is the sense of belonging and knowing that we are a family. Hope is hard to hold on to when someone you love seems determined to keep going in the wrong direction. That was our oldest daughter during her teenage years. This happened a few years ago before we all had cell phones where you can track where your kids go. One night, after a heated argument, she slammed to door and didn’t come back for two weeks.
It was during this difficult time that I had a life-changing experience around the reality of hope. I remember that I was sitting at the kitchen table crying uncontrollably. My prayers were angry cries that the Lord teach her a strong lesson because I was so tired of this behavior. (Have you ever thanked God for not answering your prayers when your heart was not right? I do now.)
I was begging for wisdom to know what to do. When I finally had no more tears to shed I was prepared to listen to His answer. I felt Him speak to my heart, “Paint her a picture of hope. Look at her through My eyes of hope.”
You can read more details about this miracle in my book, The Power of Hope for Prodigals: Prepare the Way Home.
Get out of the way
When you are angry because of the choices of those you love you want to withhold your love. You want to jump right in there to make sure that they make the right choices. Instead, be loving while you let your teen suffer the consequences of his/her behavior. This really works. It can be a hard balance to find, so practice it regularly for when you really need it.
Active Expressions of Love and Honor:
- Release your anger completely to the Lord
- Allow the natural consequences of actions to come full circle
- Resist the temptation to preach / scold / have all the answers
Share hope generously
You can share hope without showing approval. Put your confidence in the plan God has for your loved ones and trust Him to continue to work in their lives no matter what it looks like right now. God is working the night shift and from the inside out. You may not see the evidence of it on the outside and yet, there is confidence that God will use all for His glory.Click To Tweet
Active Expressions of Love and Honor:
- Show patience for the people closest to you
- Trust that there will be a positive outcome
Change the atmosphere
Hope changes the atmosphere of any room you enter. When you stop being the ruler of everyone else’s world you can relax, laugh and enjoy the memories you are creating. One day this will be hilarious. Trust me! I know it’s true.
Active Expressions of Love and Honor:
- Make a list of situations for prayer
- Write the answers when they come
- Write out the testimonies and funny stories
Prayer
Thank You, Lord, that You define yourself with the word HOPE. That means that You will provide the joy and peace that I need in the midst of the hardest situations. Others may give up hope but You never do because it is who You are. It would be like giving up on Yourself and we know that is never going to happen. When I trust You to work out the details You fill me with ALL joy and peace in the middle of the mess. I release my loved ones to You. Forgive me for painting a dismal picture of what the enemy will do in their lives instead of encouraging them with who they already are in You. Fill me with so much hope that I slosh on everyone around me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Click here to read the rest of the #Write28Days series.
Author, speaker, corporate trainer, ordained minister and Hope Catalyst, Karen Sebastian enjoys sharing her rich life experiences with others – engaging them in adventurous discoveries of the beauty of hope in a dark, cloudy world. Her books will inspire you to embrace hope no matter what you are going through. As a caregiver and widow she took brave steps forward to fulfill God’s calling on her life. She has now remarried and enjoys her new hubby and spending time with their children and grandchildren. To increase hope and improve relationships with yourself and those that you love, check out her Facebook page – The Power of Hope.
Karen, this is beautiful, and, of course, filled with hope! I didn’t realize you wrote a book on hope for the prodigal. Sometimes prodigals are not teens, but older adults, but hope still remains. I hope to buy your book soon. Love, hugs and blessings to you! xo
Indeed, hope is powerful!
Much love to you and your prodigal!
Karen
Karen, I never knew you wrote a book on hope for prodigals. Not all prodigals are teens but I’m sure your advice would be good at any rate. I hope to purchase your book soon. It sounds great. Your life is a beautiful example of hope, and I appreciate you! Blessings and love! xo
Thanks for that, Gayl. For some reason it wanted me to approve the comment before it posted. I agree, not all prodigals are teens. I also appreciate you!
Love,
Karen
Thank you, thank you for this reminder!
Thanks for stopping by, Carrie. I’m glad it was a helpful reminder to pick up the hope lens.
Karen
I appreciate your hopeful post! Just having hope can be a life-giving ministry. Great reminder for me!
Amy,
Thank you so much for stopping by. It means so much to me. I’m glad it was a good reminder!
Karen