Freedom starts with hope. Realizing the power of trust, belief, and faith inherent in the word has kept me reaching out and allowing others to reach in no matter the crisis. I have been struggling lately. Sometimes, I forget to keep my hope in Jesus and start looking to others or my own ways of self-medicating. These are moments. Despair has an end, and knowing that I can turn from sin and embrace the truth of God’s promises, come what may, has kept me reaching out and allowing others to reach out.

For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.

Romans 8:20-21 ESV

Turning My Page: Freedom Starts With Hope

Hope.

I have struggled to write for months, and the excuses have piled up.

• My house is a mess
• I’m not sleeping
• My physical health is deteriorating
• Grieving my grandmother
• I am a burden to others

This week, the Holy Spirit interrupted my unconscious mantra and reminded me that I have a vast vocabulary. Start with one word: HOPE. Moving beyond writer’s block, depression, or any other block in my life starts with HOPE.

I may not immediately see the fruits of my hope, but the seeds exist. I write one word, and then another, and another, and before long, I am looking back at the obstacle rather than having it firmly planted in front of me.

My hope in all things is found in Jesus Christ, so yesterday and today, I confessed my depressed state and tuned my heart to my Savior’s voice through scripture.

• Worked on memorizing Romans 8
• I prayed for my family, who is grieving the loss of our grandmother
• Acknowledged I am substituting food and mindless activities for the comfort of Christ in my grief
• I went to bed and trusted that God would give me the needed rest
• Set healthy boundaries with my children
• I chose a few small ways to attack the mess of my home
• Rested
• Fasted

One of the first things the Spirit of Despair attacks is the healthy habits I form.

Notice my list above. I stopped having time in scripture. The house was a deep hole of undone chores, so why try? I avoided grief through food and TV. While these things give me temporary relief, they will never give me lasting help or draw me from the pit of hopelessness because I will always need more and more of those things and accomplish nothing by escaping through them. They do not feed me, mind, body, and spirit.

I know this because at age twenty, I almost succeeded in taking my own life. That moment was the cumulation of all my attempts to deal with life’s hardships and pain by burying it and not pressing into hope. At that moment, I rightly recognized that nothing in this world would make me feel better, but I did not push into hope in Christ until the following year.

Only then did my life begin to look more hopeful. I started recognizing that Christ died for all the hardships I experienced, and He would faithfully take all experiences and use them to lead others and offer hope when others can’t yet see their potential. Placing hope in Jesus Christ meant my ultimate failure was not an option—no more throwing in the towel. I do not do this perfectly, but when my footing slips, I regain it more quickly and easily because hope has become the pattern of my life rather than the exception.

Turning Your Page

Freedom starts with hope.

That hope does not disappoint. You may not yet see the fruits of pushing back against the doubts or feel anything will change. Hope is powerful! It gives you space and opportunity to discover resources, mankind to reach in and help, and develops muscles of trust. We will get to the other side of our experiences because nothing separates us from the love of Jesus (Romans 8:28). Nothing and no one will ever be able to steal that freedom from you.

• What are some of your favorite promises in scripture?
• Look at the definition of the root word of depression and compare it to the definition of hope.
  • Journal about the differences and similarities between the two.
  • What are some antonyms of each?
• Pick an antonym of “depress,” such as rejoice, and begin practicing daily.

Lord, I want to cease spiraling into despair. Help me to look up from the pit and see that all things are possible through you. I’ll hold on until they happen, as you promised. Amen