Hope beyond Hope

My mother has kicked me in the butt and told me to stop being depressed and disgusted. She said that she couldnt stand seeing me moping around and not saying one encouraging word to her. She was used to me being encouraging and uplifting when things go wrong. She couldnt stand seeing me down and discouraged. She said she needed me to have a more positive outlook and remember that it aint ove until God says its over.

That helped me to pull my head out of the sand and stop feeling sorry for myself. I was so overwhelmed with the student teaching, the bills, and just general stuff that I forgot to encourage myself. I was happy to know that I had been an encouragement to her in the past and I would continue to remember to encourage no matter what the circumstance. I know that God has a plan for me and I have not heard the last from him.

When I was driving into church today in my car I was discouraged. I was mad at God for not opening any doors and I just couldnt see a light. My spirit said to me quote a bible verse. I thought, I dont know any verses by heart. My spirit said again go to the word, quote a verse, so I thought and all I could remember was "raise a child up in the way they should go, and when they get old they wont depart from it" even that wasnt exactly right. Then my spirit said try another, I thought, I dont know another. It said, try again, so I thought, "Now, faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen." The it said try again, so I thought, "In the beginning was the word and the word was God." I repeated just those three verses over and over in my head on the way to church and my spirit was lifted. Sometimes we have to encourage ourselves. All is not lost and I am not giving up yet.

I am encouraged.