My Daily Hope By Vickie Stam

                                         Zephaniah 3:17 

  "The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing."  
                     
              

Have you ever wondered how many words in a day you speak? Language Log says, "The average woman speaks 20,000 words a day while the average man speaks 7,000 words a day. I'm sure some of us, like myself know people where those stats are truly the opposite. But just think what 20,000 words a day could do! Picture the good that could come from that many words.

Now, imagine recording every word you spoke or sang out loud in one day. After listening to it, would you hear yourself offering hope to the hopeless, encouragement to the lost and the love of Jesus to everyone you meet? I certainly couldn't say that about myself.

What would the word count look like on your computer at the end of a day? Tally the number of words you text in a day. Would you hear and see words that could easily describe your character as Christ-like? Hmm... 

Each word in an email, card, message, conversation and so on can quickly add up to something spectacular - a desire, a hope, a dream. What about the power of prayer - the words that are expressed between you and God? How often do you pray? 

Some of us take stock of the number of steps we've taken daily by simply checking our smart bracelet or iPhone. We're thrilled when we see that number reach 10,000 because we've been told about the great health benefits we'll receive from reaching such a goal. 

What about the benefits of sharing Gods word with others? I wish that I could say that I do that on a daily basis. Yet, these days it really doesn't take a lot of effort to communicate the love of God to people near and far. The internet is a handy tool for doing just that. Whether or not we go by foot into the world or reach out to others from inside our homes we have the means to offer something of ourselves to those around us.

I write because I feel God leading me to express the things in my life both good and bad. This life that is mine just might be the thing that makes someone else know they're not alone. 

I love to cook for others and enjoy the fellowship, the smiles and even the expressions of truth that seem to develop around a table of food. And yes, I still enjoy writing letters and sending cards. 

There are so many ways to allow hope to shine in this world.

I hope .....

- whenever I write something that my words would have a positive impact on the person reading them.

- my prayers would intercede on behalf of others.

- that my life would show the love of Jesus in things I say and do.

- my life shows just how wonderful it is to know that God is with me, he has saved me, he takes great delight in me, he loves me, and rejoices over me. 

If I think of the many words I speak in one day I hope the most important words find their way to someone else. 

Words - by Marcia Janson

Wars and rumours of wars; violence and terrorism; lawlessness and faithlessness; mishandling of the environment; sickness and poverty; political oppression…

How’s that for a depressing start to a blog post? Well, living in this world can be painful and difficult, especially as things seem to get worse rather than better. In North America, we are shielded from the more extreme elements of the above list, but it grieves our hearts to see it happening anywhere – near or far. The recent Boston Marathon bombing brings the horror a little closer to home and many of us are deeply unsettled by this act of terrorism. There is sadness for all the pain and a certain level of frustration and rage that the perpetrators have allowed evil to overcome them in this way.

Why did they do it? We don’t know what drives each individual person, but we can make some general guesses…

Separation from God.  Emotional and spiritual wounding.  Alienation.  Lies and deception.  Hatred.  Fear.

Sin.

One author puts it this way:

I believe there is pain, something untoward in certain people – certain communities, even – perhaps it’s anger, a sense of dispossession or disenfranchisement, and they have to destroy that which brings joy and love. ~ Jacqueline Winspear*

Those who follow Christ know this is true. Evil hates what is beautiful and good and wants to do away with it. From the very beginning and throughout the millennia, it has left a path of destruction in its wake, culminating at the cross. There the perfectly beautiful was tortured, disfigured and killed.  On the surface - another victory for evil.

But Christians know that isn’t the end of the story. When Christ gave himself up for us, God pulled back the curtain of death and separation once and for all. Jesus rose to life and now “...the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.” (John 1:5)

What does this have to do with Christian writers? We belong to Christ and his light is in us. When we draw close to him, he infuses our thoughts with his own. Our words can bring beauty into places of destruction, joyous blessing to mourning hearts and hope to despairing souls. 

So, when evil is performing a victory dance, with the media cheering it on, may God give us words of grace to overcome evil with good.

Gracious words are a honeycomb,
sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.
Proverbs 16:24

___________________________________________________

* Jacqueline Winspear, Leaving Everything Most Loved

Photo credits: 

Sea storm -http://www.flickr.com/photos/sacharules/3573348242/

Writing - http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikeoliveri/685358132/