Today, I’m starting a new segment to my blog called “Words of Hope”. It will appear on Wednesdays. I want to do this because so often through my life I’ve wanted so much to hear positive words spoken to me. Positive words lift up the person to whom you say them. They can be balm to open wounds that have not been worked through or are even still happening. There was also the deep desire to have a cheerleader who would give positive direction as well as support to become who I was made to be or just to make it through a particularly rough day. I know this is something that does good for everyone. I want to give those positive words. So, I’m starting this segment to run on Wednesdays. It will begin with a quote followed by thoughts to further encourage someone who may need it. I hope it is a blessing to those who read it. Feel free to share them with others, subscribe to the blog if you’d like the link to new posts sent directly to your e-mail and I’d always love to hear from you.

Words of Hope

When the world says, “Give up,” Hope whispers, “Try it one more time.”  Unknown

The world can throw us into the worst possible situations, some we could never imagine would happen, but:

1. Always remember there is light after the storm and, sometimes, even in the storm.
2. Don’t give up on life when you’re at the lowest point.
3. Surround yourself with people you love and trust.
4. It’s ok to take time to come to terms with what happened and then try again later to move forward.
5. I’ve heard it said that in life, like a rearview mirror in your vehicle, you need to keep your eyes mainly on the road ahead to move forward and only glance back to see how far you’ve come. I understand this sentiment and even agree with it to a point. To move forward you have to be looking forward to have a clear view of where you’re going and you shouldn’t get stuck in the past. But I also believe, and have learned through personal experience, that you also need to look back to come to terms with some of those rough and unimaginable times. If you don’t, you’ll never fully heal from them. The lessons learned during these times is what you then take forward in your life.
6. There are times where we all want to give in to the mantra to give up. But that only leaves you hollow and defeated. Standing strong against something or someone and choosing to try one more time is empowering.
7. When you are chasing a dream or trying something new, trying over and over may not get you right where you want to be immediately, but you’ll notice that you are closer to the goal or have more knowledge behind you for the next step in the journey.
8. Finding hope in the battle or journey can make a lifetime of difference both for you and those you come in contact with in that period of time.
9. Just the attitude of looking to hope and not defeat can be the difference or the reward in itself. If you watch someone who looks for the positives and does what they can do to be that positive influence in life and compare them with those who are negative, self-focused and give up quickly, you will see the difference just a change in attitude can make in a life (watching an episode of “Undercover Boss” is a great way to see this in action).
10. And, finally, as the great philosopher Dory says, “Just keep swimming…”.

~ Joanna Lynn

(For me, holding on to Jesus is always number one. I would be totally destroyed if not for Him. To me, it is a given, which is why I didn’t include it on the list, but wanted to be sure it is acknowledged.)