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Thursday, March 27, 2008

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to My Blog...

One plausible explanation for my 2 week blog absence is that I have been stuck in a time warp of such behemothic proportions that it has taken me this long to extricate myself in order to write an entry. Or, I could just say that I've been busy?

But somehow "busy" just doesn't describe the last two weeks. I was feeling a tad bit overextended, as though I was a size small sweater that had been stretched out on a drying rack to fit a very large woman. Frazzled, with strings unraveling, but trying to hold it together for the sake of my family. Then a funny thing happened. Right smack dab in the middle of my little storm, I found something I've been searching for - peace.

I am just beginning to understand after 38 years what the term "living in Faith" really means. Charles Spurgeon said that Faith was made up of three things - knowledge, belief, and trust. I have had knowledge and belief for years, it's the trust part I have always had issues with. Hebrews 13:5b tells me "for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." Faith means believing that Christ is what He is said to be, and that He will do what He has promised to do, and then expecting this of Him. So I am now learning to be expectant of his promises, something I have never done before.

I have had "hope" and "expect" confused for years. But there is definitely a difference and those two words are not interchangeable, as I once thought. You can expect a tornado, but I don't know of anyone that would hope for one. Expect is anticipation, hope is a desire. I expect to go to Heaven, I hope I my children are all there with me. See the difference?

It's been a breakthrough for me personally. My prayer life has had a complete makeover - I am able to pray with a boldness that I have never had before. It has been a wonderful time of spiritual renewal for me and I am so thankful for what the Lord has done. We still struggle financially, but I expect a change in that area any moment as well. God has taken such wonderful care of our family - providing for every need (and even some wants) that I would be remiss not to shout it out from the rooftop (or at least from the pages of my blog) that Jesus Christ is Lord and I am so grateful for what He has done in my life.

And thanks to those of you who have emailed me, checking up on me. It's such a blessing to have you all as bloggy friends - you don't have to "hope", you can "expect" that I will be better at updating my blog. Even when I don't feel like it.

UPDATED TO ADD: My husband about had a heart astroke when he read this, because (and rightly so) he feared that many people would misread this and think that I am saying that you shouldn't have "Hope" - because the Bible says that Jesus is the "Blessed Hope". He pointed me to the Webster's 1828 Dictionary and it states that Hope is "Confidence in a future event; the highest degree of well founded expectation of good; as a hope founded on God's gracious promises; a scriptural sense. A well founded scriptural hope,is, in our religion, the source of ineffable happiness. That which gives hope; he or that which furnishes ground of expectation, or promises desired good. The hope of Israel is the Messiah. The Lord will be the hope of his people. Joel 3."

True Hope is a mixture of faith and emotions, or longing. And that is something we all need.

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6 comments:

Dorothy said...

It is so good to have you back, Karen, and I thank God for what He has done for you in your absence from us!

mzzterry said...

Praise God from Whom ALL blessings flow!!
He is Good, ALL the time!!
SO happy to hear from you, and I totally *get* what you are saying about hope!!

Megan Cobb said...

I get it too! And I'm happy you have peace. And I'm happy you're back!

Unknown said...

Beautiful post. So glad you are back. Was wondering myself where you'd gotten off to. On a lovely "journey," I can see...

Flea said...

So good to see you back, hopeful and expectant. :D

Dallas Meow said...

understand completely - God does after all, promise us blessings and He is pretty known for His Word :)
Hugs and welcome back