Affirmations: Day 3 by Susan L.

  "I am abounding in hope" Rom 15:4 & 13
  Where does hope come from? Is it an innate part of our emotional makeup? A baby cries out of need but does this want, borne of necessity, begin the installation of our hope software? I cry. I am answered. My needs are met.
  When the baby spoon of some questionable new food does the airplane towards my mouth, is there a newfound explosion of hope that it will be something yummy?
  Is that first taste of pretty, pink grapefruit a breach of trust?

  Is hope tied into the ability to ask for good things?
  "Good things" are entirely subjective and chosen according to our social status, finances, age, where we live, our beliefs and so forth.
  I'd like to think I've moved beyond hoping for a Ferrari. Nice as it would be, having one would take a whack out of my finances. I'd worry about it being stolen or worse, wrecked in a car accident. They aren't so great to drive in the winter either. Let's shelve that burdensome dream but I wouldn't mind driving one around the block some day.
  I'm not one for daydreaming about the future. Never have been. I wonder if that part of me is broken. Or maybe my life experiences have squashed that ability. Getting through each day has been a challenge for so long. To consider what tomorrow might bring is a stretch of my abilities.
  Oh, here's the hope part! For now. (Maybe I could practice?)
  Hope doesn't have to be big, does it? It's the little hopes that have enabled me get through the days spent on the Black River. Very few of them were ever spoken. It was an internal longing for something better and no matter how bad it got, I knew better would eventually come. Everything always turned out OK and more often than not, far better than just OK!
  Anticipation is hope in action. Anticipation and its partner expectancy breathe life into the yet to happen tomorrows.
  I like that. It takes away the idea of needing to ask for specifics and places the future firmly in the Lord's hands. That's the only vessel I want my tomorrows in.
 Yet, we are called to be proactive when it comes to faith. In this I can be very specific about my hopes in that regard: I hope for a deeper faith and a richer understanding of my Lord Jesus. I hope that my giftings will continue to unfold and that they will be a blessing to others. I hope that the Lord's grace will enable me to have more grace, patience, kindness and that I am filled with all the good things He embodies.
  I hope these mental meanderings today will make a difference in someone's life or at least, and hopefully, generate a smile.
  "Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Rom 15:13
  I have to add a rousing, "AMEN!"