Friday, November 12, 2010

What is Hope?

Yesterday, I spotted a yellow daisy, a perfect bloom among a bush of dying flowers. With the early frosts, our flower beds are full of brown and wilted blooms. This one tiny daisy defied the elements and smiled at me.

To me this is what hope is all about. These are trying times for many throughout the world. The media plays upon these events through television, newspapers, magazines, and radio. Experiencing second hand tragedies through the media can be very depressing. So, how do we keep hope? And what is hope?


There is a wonderful passage in the Bible which truly speaks to my heart about hope.
Romans 8:22-25 "We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently."
Hope is the faith within our hearts and souls, the belief in Christ Jesus that God is with us and will provide. God's word through Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, tells us that in order to have hope, we must learn to be patient. We must be still, have faith, and wait without grumbling to keep hope alive.

Hope is one tiny yellow daisy amid bushes of dying blooms. Hope is always looking forward to a brighter tomorrow, a dream within reach, with an attitude of humbleness, and never, ever giving up.

In my novel, Joshua's Hope, the heroine, Hope, learns what her name stands for when she finally lets go and lets God take control.

Like the withered daisies in my flower bed, Hope's soul withers when her life hits bottom, but when she opens her heart to God's healing love, her spirit rises and shines like the beautiful single yellow daisy.

Joshua's Hope purchase link

Smiles and Blessings,
Carol Ann Erhardt

6 comments:

Robin Bayne said...

Joshua's Hope sounds intriguing! Great post on hope.

Pamela S Thibodeaux said...

Beautiful analogy!
Thanks for sharing.
PamT

Donna B said...

Wonderful post, Carol!

Marianne Evans said...

Carol, what a wonderful post!! Thanks for the uplift. :-) Blessings ~ Marianne

Carol Ann said...

I'm happy that you enjoyed my post on hope. It's something we all need to hang on to!

JoAnn said...

Great post! I enjoyed your book too. Here were my thoughts...

Ms Erhardt pens a gripping story, which will impact the reader and grip their hearts as the characters come to life on the pages. Here's just a tiny sample of the depth of emotion and questioning the main character, Hope, deals with ... (Hope speaking here)"If God knows what our lives are going to be, then He must know when and how we're going to die. How can He let something so evil happen to a good person? Explain that to me."

This was more than just a story of a romance, it was a story of forgiveness, redemption, and faith. I loved every minute of it and I highly recommend you place this story on your TO BE READ list.