The Fight for Hope – Page 3

Those Walking in Darkness Need the Light

The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine. (Isaiah 9:2)

Darkness pressed down like a heavy coat, swallowing everyone in the cave. For one minute we stood in complete darkness and silence. Even though my husband was standing right beside me, within seconds the first fearful thought popped into my head.

I am alone.

Of course, I wasn’t. I was surrounded on every side by members of our group as we toured Mammoth Cave.

But in the darkness, I felt alone. Trapped.

Within seconds scenes from every murder-mystery I’d ever seen or read came to mind. I thought about the others in the group. Who are these people? I don’t even know them. I tightened my grip on my backpack straps and distrust rose in my heart.

Thankfully the minute passed, our tour guides turned their lanterns back on, everyone laughed, breathed a sigh of relief, and we went on with the remainder of our 14-mile tour.

It took less than a minute for fear to surface when I was standing in literal darkness. And that makes me wonder:

Does fear surface in any type of darkness?

What about the people all around us who are walking in figurative darkness? Searching for fulfilment, purpose, peace, and happiness without any light. Surrounded by fear and distrust without hope of rescue. Or so they believe.

But we know that light shines in the darkness. And we know the Light of the World who came to rescue us, the One who came to be our hope.

Light broke through deepest darkness when God put on flesh and stepped into our world. He came as a tiny light, wrapped in the most vulnerable package.

He came in a way that we could receive Him.

If He had come like He did on Mount Sinai; we might have turned away in fear. In Exodus, the people were told to get ready, get clean, and not to touch the mountain or they would die. In contrast, Jesus came on a dark night, in a dirty stable, and only a few knew the Light had come.

Jesus came to show us what God is like, how deeply He loves us, and how we can follow Him.

The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. As the Word, He brought thoughts from the innermost recesses of people’s hearts out into the light. He was gentle with those who were struggling, patient with those who didn’t even know they needed Him until He spoke to them. He challenged those who thought they had Him all figured out.

Jesus saw people living in figurative darkness and it moved him. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. (Matthew 9:36)

Maybe they were tossed around by fear, suspicion, and distrust. Maybe they were seeking fulfilment, purpose, and peace in things that could never deliver. Maybe they felt trapped, like they would never be free from the darkness.

And He told them Whoever follows me will have the light of life. (John 8:12)

The light of life He offers shines brighter than a tour guide’s lantern and points us to the answer our hearts were made to search for – One who loves us beyond all measure. One who is always with us. One who shines light in the darkest places of our lives.

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We celebrate the coming of the Light of the world at Christmas, but we need this truth every day of the year. Discover the themes of Christmas in everyday life through my newly released book of short devotions In Unexpected Ways: Christmas in Everyday Life.

In Unexpected Ways: How God Answers the Questions of Life

I am not sure if we, as a collective body living on planet Earth, have ever entered the Christmas season this worn down, weary, and filled with questions.

The events and months of 2020 have highlighted the truth that life is fragile, and we have precious little control over the things that matter most to us. And by highlighted, I mean surrounded by harsh flashing bulbs that light up the sky.

In the final months of a year filled with too many unprecedented events are you wondering if you can even trust God anymore?

We need the wonder of Christmas, the joy, and the peace more than ever. And, in some ways, we have never been more prepared to see it.

Could the disappointments, the grief, the uncertainty of this calendar year have us searching for something that will last?

As we sit in shadows of uncertainty, a warm glow fills the air.

Light breaks through darkness, allowing things to be clearly seen. And on that first Christmas, God stepped into history in an unexpected way to show us that He is the answer to our deepest needs.

He still answers the questions we ask in the quiet of the night:

Am I alone? Does God love me? Does God have a plan for me? Can I trust Him?

And He responds:

His Name answers Am I alone?

His Presence answers Does God love me?

His Purpose answers Does God have a plan for me?

And these provide the answer to the question that lies at the center of it all:

Can I trust Him?

The Christmas story is part of a larger story, a story that began before God said, “Let there be light.” A story that includes the Garden of Eden, the Cross and Resurrection. A story that is still unfolding.

We celebrate Christmas with an eye on the climax of the entire story. We celebrate the sweet baby in the manger because He is the suffering Savior on the cross, and the risen Savior who defeated the enemy of our soul out of love for us.

If you have thought This is not the way it should be,

If you’ve worried about health, finances, or the future,

If you’ve secretly wondered if you’ve missed out on the good in life,

If you feel like you are stuck in survival mode,

This book was written with you in mind.

In Unexpected Ways: Christmas in Everyday Life is a compilation of devotions written during moments when my heart held more questions than answers, when I wondered if God loved me, and when I felt like nothing would ever change.

God answered the questions I was really asking by whispering truth to my heart, truth from his Word that revealed His Presence, His love, and His purpose. Truth whispered from his Word changes us more deeply than the shouts of the world ever will.

God stepped into history in an unexpected way to show us that He is the answer to our deepest needs.

He has not changed. He still works through the unexpected to draw us to Him.

And drawing us to Himself is always the purpose for the unexpected.

In Unexpected Ways: Christmas in Everyday Life is available on Amazon.

Friendship, Fiction, and These Uncertain Times

Today I am THRILLED to welcome Weez Phillips, author of *The Lightest, Heaviest Things.*

The Lightest, Heaviest Things is a middle-grade fantasy about giants and healing rifts between worlds. In addition to giants, there is an adorable troll named Ull, magic, and two best friends who are figuring out the quest thing as they go. They do discover that snacks are very important while quest-ing.

As a parent, I love the way Weez portrays the relationship between the two friends. They are typical middle-grade girls, jumping to conclusions, doubting their own abilities, and assuming the other has the perfect life. Throughout the story, they grow, their friendship deepens, and they begin seeing life through the other’s eyes.

Weez agreed to share a few thoughts about the theme of friendship and the reaction of her characters to living during uncertain times, two things that are very relatable in these days of 2020.

One of the themes that runs through TLHT is friendship. Peri and Wink are very different and yet they are close. What difficulties come up because of their differences, and how do they resolve them?

I like to think of Peri as being a person who almost feels too deeply. She’s very driven by emotion, and by reaction. Wink, on the other hand, is more logical and serious–and maybe doesn’t allow for emotions as much as she should. This puts a communication barrier between them. Another thing putting a communication barrier between them is their different lifestyles, their different backgrounds. Peri is an only child whose parents often aren’t home. Wink comes from a large, loud family, where at least one parent is always present. It’s hard for them to understand each other because of these differences. But I actually think the biggest barrier between them is their terror of being hurt or of hurting each other. They begin learning to resolve the conflict as they discover more about themselves and the world around them. They learn to be open and honest with each other, and this certainly begins the work of breaking down walls.

If you could sit these two characters down and give them friendship advice, what would it be?

I would encourage them to continue being honest with each other, and to be intentional about talking to each other–but also to give each other space. It’s important to be able to exist both on your own and with others.

What does TLHT have to say about living in uncertain times?
A lot is uncertain in the world Peri and Wink find themselves in. I don’t want to go into detail because of spoilers, but I will say that things seem pretty strange and bleak for them. But they learn that they can be brave, that they can be strong–that they need to work together and remember the good. They learn to go bravely–but also to be bravely. To live life on a founding principle of braveness. They are not alone, and hope can still be found.

The Lightest, Heaviest Things is available on Amazon.

Weez also designed The Lightest, Heaviest Things merchandise. Stickers, pins, T-shirts, and more.

Read reviews of The Lightest, Heaviest Things from the 2020 blog tour:

The Lightest, Heaviest Things; a review

The Lightest, Heaviest Things by Weez Phillips – Book Review

Go Bravely

Welcoming The Lightest, Heaviest Things into the World

it’s beginning, it’s beginning, it’s beginning

because pop tarts from a gas station taste better than pop tarts from a grocery store

Weez Phillips is a Christian homeschooled student living with her family in the Deep South. If you ask her how she’s doing, she’s likely to cry a bit and then spout contradicting statements before wandering off in search of fruit (nature’s fast food).

Better Than Wishes

Are you feeling Corona weary these days?

I asked that question during Mug to Mug a few weeks ago, and I was met with a resounding YES!!!

These days I can relate to the moment in The Lord of the Rings when Frodo admitted to Gandalf “I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened.”

We could fill in Frodo’s statement with many, many things from our own lives, couldn’t we?

“I wish _______ had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened.”

J.R.R. Tolkien began writing The Lord of the Rings during World War I. I can imagine that this thought came to mind as he crouched in trenches, fought, and lost friends in battles.

In fairy tales wishes are made and granted all the time. Sometimes the wishes have strings attached, or the things wished for aren’t really what is best. Characters in fairy tales, and people in real life, make wishes based on comfort level, and on what is seen.

Thankfully, we have something far better than wishes. We have God’s promises. God’s promises are made with the very best for us in mind and they take into account future events that we have no way of knowing.

So what do we do when our wishes don’t match with His promises? When the working out of His promises in our life doesn’t look anything like we thought it would?

We place our trust in the unchanging nature and character of God.

We seek out comfort and avoid conflict, but God often calls us into situations and places that are uncomfortable and filled with conflict. He brings us into places where all we can do is trust Him. Maybe He knows that in trusting Him, we will know Him more deeply. And that, besides seeing us face to face, is His heart’s desire.

Take a moment to read this beautiful description of the intersection between our wishes and His precious promises.

My Wishes and His Promises
God has promised me His eternal life, but not a long life.
God has promised me perfect health on the new earth, but not on this earth.
God has promised me His comfort, but not a life without pain.
God has promised me His righteousness, but not righteous people.
God has promised me His home in heaven, but not a house on earth.
God has promised me His wedding feast, but not a spouse.
God has promised me His joy, but not a life without sorrow.
God has promised me His justice, but not human justice.
God has promised me His power, but not a life without weakness.
God has promised me His sufficiency, but not a life with no needs.
God has promised me His wisdom, but not a life without questions.
God has promised me His guidance, but not a life without confusion.
God has promised me His victory, but not a life without conflict.
God has promised me His presence, but not a life without loneliness.
God has promised me His vengeance, but not a life without forgiving.
God has promised me His grace, but not a life without repentance.
God has promised me His blessing, but not a life without obedience.
God has promised me His reward, but not a life without a race.
God has promised me His love, but not a life without rejection.
God has promised me His peace, but not a life without turmoil.
God has promised me His faithfulness, but not a life without faith.
Peter Reid, General Director of Torchbearers International (Jan.2020)

Let’s Talk! Where you are hanging on more tightly to your wishes than to His promises? Are those the areas in your life you have trouble trusting God with?

What are your thoughts on this quote by Dietrich Bonhoeffer ? “God sent His Son not to fulfill my wishes, but His promises.”

If you would like an artsy copy of “My Wishes and His Promises” click here to get one designed by @themakingsofjoy. Then run over to Instagram and see what else she does. She’s one talented lady!

It’s Okay to Say

I feel like we are in the messy middle of COVID-19. At least we are here in Mississippi, where we might be hitting a flatter curve as I type this, but our numbers aren’t decreasing enough to say the curve is going down.

In the beginning everything was #inthistogether, but right now #wedontknow feels more honest.

We are used to gathering facts from experts and drawing conclusions from those facts. But that is not the way things are working right now. There are no experts because we are all living through this in real time, and “this” doesn’t even look the same for each person. The whole world feels stuck in a crazy experiment where data is still being gathered before any hypothesis can be tested. We want concrete answers and there just aren’t any.

So what do you do when there are endless opinions being thrown around, and every 100%-for-sure-fact is proven inaccurate within 24 hours? You learn that it’s okay to say a few important things.

It’s ok to say “This is a really strange time.” We can acknowledge that little about 2020 has been predictable or planned.

It’s ok to say “I don’t know.”

I feel like I say that to my kids all day long. ” What will school look like in the fall?” “When can we go roller skating or shopping or to the movies? I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know.

For real. I don’t know. All I know for sure is that what we know changes every single day.

And here’s the truth: We know what we know today, and our decisions reflect that knowledge. Will our knowledge tomorrow or next week look different? Yes. But we can’t make today’s decisions based on next week’s knowledge. All we can do is the best we can with the information we have.

It’s okay to say “I don’t feel comfortable with this.”

Beneath the uproar on either side of the “to re-open or not to re-open” dilemma, I am hearing a constant need for direction. During this time, we can find direction by paying attention to what is best for our situation and giving others grace to do the same.

I learned this during another unplanned, unexpected, uncertain time in my life. For a few years one of my daughters experienced seizures. Some were caused by fever, some were unexplained. So, whenever an illness went around that caused fever, we stayed home. If my daughter seemed off, or things weren’t quite right, we stayed home. I couldn’t control the seizures, so I controlled what I could to keep my girl safe.

When I put my head on my pillow at night, I had peace that I had done everything I knew to do. As we tracked her seizures, I learned more, and my decisions reflected that knowledge.

Did I disappoint people when I canceled plans? Did I look wishy-washy to others? Yes to both. But I learned to trust my knowledge of our situation, I learned that others recover from disappointment, and that disappointing others isn’t fatal.

It’s okay to say “I’m not okay right now.”

During any given day, I can go from describing this extra time with my family as awesome, awful, and every shade between. I can watch the news, trusting in God’s sovereignty and feeling overwhelmingly anxious during one news story. Emotions are complex, especially during uncertain times. Reaching out to others to tell them that you’ve had a rough day really helps.

One thing I do know is that uncertain times don’t last forever. This messy middle will eventually give way to the end, and this true for COVID-19 as well. What we learn from this time, how we allow this time to shape us, that is what will last.

#livingboldlyinabrokenworld isn’t easy, but it is possible. When storms swirl all around us, it’s difficult to keep our eyes fixed on God’s truth. I’ve gathered the truths that help me through the storms of life into a pdf, Truths that Anchor in the Storm. These verses aren’t lifeboats, pulling me out of the storm, they are anchors to help me stand inside the storm. I hope they will help you as well. Click on the side bar to receive your copy today.

Anchors in the Storm

When things feel out of control, we need anchors, or fixed points that hold us. Like a ship on the ocean, we are going to bob and dip in the waves. Just as an anchor keeps a ship from being swept away, anchors can keep us from being swept away with fear or despair. Anchors enable us to wait in a trusting, hopeful way and see what the Lord is going to do, even as the storm rages around us.

The first anchor is TRUTH. Truth holds us steady.

Three truths that anchor us:

God is not limited. He can work healing in the tiny cells of our bodies. He could even cause this whole virus to disappear. He can also work in mighty ways in people’s hearts and lives. He can reach into the heart of a person tucked away in a small village in the mountains of Peru just as easily as he reached into the heart of this little Mississippi country girl back in 1986.

God is mysterious. He doesn’t give us an answer for our every question, but He does point us to who He is. I also don’t know how He is working through these crazy times, but He is. He is bringing people all around the world to Himself during this time. His glory is filling the earth.

God is working. God is not sitting in heaven wringing His hands as He watches events unfold on planet earth. He is working in ways that match His character and nature. He is in control and He is kind, loving, and gracious. The more we get to know Him, we more we trust Him. And the more we trust Him, the more we are free to live boldly in this broken world.

What truth is anchoring your heart today?

Let’s Do Something Different With This Time

How are y’all doing with “all this?”

You know, trying to balance the weight of a worldwide pandemic and social distancing with kids completely off schedule and more time of everyone at home. Hearing the death count rise and not knowing who will be next. All this.

The uncertainty and unknown is overwhelming and can quickly consume us. The world is on our minds, because suddenly we have a common world-wide struggle, and we are all hoping for a cure.

COVID-19 isn’t the only struggle we have in common though. There’s a deeper struggle and pain that we all have, and a deeper cure. One that changes lives. The struggle against darkness and sin. The need of an eternal cure. The need of a Savior.

As we walk through this pandemic, let’s do something different. For a few minutes each day, let’s pray for the world and for a cure for COVID-19, but also for those who haven’t heard of the cure for our deeper struggles, Jesus.

Not sure where to start? I was hoping you’d say that.

I want you to meet my friend Sarah. She’s spunky, fun, and has the two most adorable boys. I especially love her heart for the Bibleless people groups.

Sarah helps busy moms teach their children how to pray through simple, easy, fun ways. Sarah’s latest book, Psalm Prayers for the Nations, is a compilation of 40 prayers for Bibleless people groups, translators, and pastors. In a time when our eyes tend to stay on ourselves, Sarah gives us a way to lift our eyes and heart to the Lord on behalf of those who have never heard of Him.

We are putting together an online community to help spread the word about Psalm Prayers for the Nations. Technically, it’s called a launch team. But so much more will be happening than launching this amazing book. We will be tracking God’s work among Bibleless people around the world and seeing in a fresh way how BIG our God is. Sounds refreshing, doesn’t it?

If you are interested in joining our super-easy-no-stress community and telling others about Psalm Prayers for the Nations, here’s the link with all the information.

Sarah’s book will be released on May 5. We have a muy divdertido (very fun) online Cinco De Mayo party planned.

Come join us and do something different with this time.

When God and Granny Clampett Agree on Vittles

“Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you.” Psalm55:22

On the Beverly Hillbillies, Granny was always offering people vittles, and usually the description of said vittles made people turn up their noses. But Granny’s heart was in the right place. She knew people needed food to live, and she loved providing for them.

Did you know that God gives us vittles too? Ok, it’s actually spelled victuals, though still pronounced vittles. But in Psalm 55:22, when it says He will sustain you, the word for sustain carries the idea of nourishing us, giving us food or provision. You know, victuals.

When he sustains us, He doesn’t give us just enough to keep our head above the water, He gives what we need to walk boldly in this broken world. He knows the difficulty of navigating circumstances and relationships. He walked through this world, and He understands.

How does that hit you today? Are you feeling overwhelmed, lost, or unseen? When we give our burdens to the Lord, He will hold us, guide us, hear us, be present with us.

And the word for cast? It carries the idea of throwing, hurling, to throw out, down, or away. It’s a very active word. The Lord invites us to hurl our burdens on him. To throw them away from us. To stop trying to carry them.

Casting our burdens on the Lord means we are trading the heaviness in our soul for abundant nourishment for our soul. We are trading anxiety for peace. We are trading fear for trust.

Casting off and trusting in God takes courage. It takes believing that God is who He says He is, and that He will keep His promise to sustain.

When we fling our arms out wide to cast our burdens on the Lord, we are then free to wrap our arms around Him. We cast so that we can cling.

As we cling to Him, He wraps His strong arms around us, and sustains us in every sense of the word. He isn’t stingy, like we sometimes secretly believe he is. He gives like a loving parent. He gives the vittles our soul needs in the deepest places.

Walking in Darkness

Darkness pressed down like a heavy coat, swallowing everyone in the cave.

For one minute we stood in complete darkness and silence. Even though my husband was standing right beside me, within seconds the first fearful thought popped into my head. I am alone.

Then scenes from every murder-mystery I’d ever seen or read came to mind. I thought about the other people on the tour. Who are these people? I don’t even know them. I tightened my grip on my backpack straps and distrust rose in my heart.

Thankfully the minute passed, our tour guides turned their lanterns back on, everyone laughted and breathed a sigh of relief, and we went on with the 14 mile tour of Mammoth Cave.

It took less than a minute for fear to surface when I was standing in literal darkness. Do the same fears surface in any type of darkness?

The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine. (Isaiah 9:2)

If I had tried to walk around in the darkness of the cave, I would have bumped into people, fallen, possibly gotten too hurt to keep going. What about the people all around us who are walking in figurative darkness? They are looking for fulfilment, purpose, peace, and happiness without any light.

And here we have the best news. Light shines in the darkness.

Light broke through deepest darkness when God put on flesh and stepped into our world. He came as a tiny light, wrapped in the most vulnerable package.

He came in a way that we could receive Him.

If He had come in any way similar to God’s Presence on Mount Sinai, we might have turned away in fear. In Exodus, the people were told to get ready, get clean, and not to touch the mountain or they would die.

But Jesus came on a dark night, in a dirty stable, and only a few knew the Light had come.

He grew, He built relationships, He spoke truth in love.

He came to show us what God is like, how deeply He loves us, and how we can follow Him.

He came speaking our language.

The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. As the Word, He brought thoughts from the innermost recesses of people’s hearts out into the light.

He was gentle with those who were struggling, patient with those who didn’t even know they needed Him until He spoke to them .He challenged those who thought they had God all figured out.

Jesus saw people living in the dark and it moved him. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. (Matthew 9:36)

Maybe they were tossed around by fear, suspicion, and distrust. Maybe they were seeking fulfilment, purpose, and peace in things that could never deliver. Maybe they felt trapped, like they would never be free from the darkness.

And He told them Whoever follows me will have the light of life. (John 8:12)

The light of life He offers shines brighter than a tour guide’s lantern, and points us to the answer our hearts were made to search for – One who loves us beyond all measure.

God is Still Good, Even in Times of Loss

In honor of Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day:
To parents who have lost a child, I see you. I am one of you. There are many things I don’t understand. but walking through loss has grown my trust in God. I don’t know if Jesus has a rocking chair like The Greenes used to sing, but I do picture Him holding my little ones close and saying “I’m so glad you are here.”

In honor of Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day, I wanted to share part of my own journey of loss and hope with you.

To parents who have lost a child: I see you. I am one of you.

In our first nine years of marriage I had two miscarriages. Working through the sorrow and loss taught me irreplaceable truths about waiting and trusting God.

I used to deal with waiting times by looking for a specific lesson in each period of waiting. I would tell myself “God is teaching me something. If I hurry up and learn it, the waiting will end.”

This formula for waiting was interwoven with another formula I lived by- a deal I made with God- the “If I do my best to live right, You will give me a good life” deal. A deal, by the way, that God never agreed to.

In time I began to rethink my formula and my deal with God. Maybe something bigger was going on, I thought, something more than learning the lesson.

After one of our miscarriages, my husband very wisely pointed out, “Erin, your desire to be a mother is from God. He has given that to you, and He will put it to use in some way. It may not be through our own children. It may be through adoption, or teaching Sunday School, or being in a ministry to children, or in a way we can’t even see right now. But He will use it. It won’t be wasted.”

I believe God gave him those words, because they pierced right through my heart.

In all my formulaic-living and deal-making with God, I had forgotten that this was about more than wanting children. I had forgotten that God’s heart was toward me. That He had given this desire for His reasons. And He would bring His reasons about at just the right time.

And in those moments, when I pictured God’s tenderness toward me and His plans for me, trust began to grow. Before that moment, I trusted God with my salvation, but I didn’t really trust His heart for me in day-to-day life. Because of my deal (the one I made up), I was convinced that God was watching, waiting for me to slip up. I saw God as critiquing me instead of gazing lovingly at His child.

But when I caught a glimpse of His heart for me, my view of God changed. Instead of looking at God with my arms crossed defensively and my chin raised defiantly, prepared for His criticism, I could approach Him as a child, grasp His hand and say “I’m having trouble with this, will You help me?”

I’ve found that the times of waiting in my life have been about much more than learning the lesson. I have learned many lessons during the waiting times. But, more importantly, during the waiting I’ve learned to trust God’s heart toward me. And it makes me want to turn toward Him more and more.

The more I focus on God’s love toward me, and trust His heart toward me, the more I get to know Him during the waiting times. And knowing Him is the deepest desire of my heart.

May the God of all hope and comfort draw you close during your waiting times too.