Yesterday afternoon I sat on my newly remodeled back porch and watched a storm blow in. It wasn’t raining yet, but the wind was strong enough to ruffle the chicken’s feathers, sway my hanging baskets and rustle the leaves on the ground. Beyond the trees, I could see the dark clouds moving in over the fields.

As a kid I was afraid of storms, but now I can appreciate the thick smell of rain and sitting under an awning listening to the thunder. And if it gets too scary outside, I can always go inside.

However, I haven’t arrived at that point of serenity about storms brewing in my life. I don’t watch with that kind of peaceful anticipation when I see dark clouds chasing away the sunshine. I’m not rocking in my recliner eagerly smelling the impending rain and waiting for the bottom to fall out.

When this school year began, storm clouds like this rolled over my mind, darkening my mood for days. I thought things like…

 I can’t do this.

I don’t have what it takes to effectively school my kids.

I will fail my children and permanently mess them up.

I will break under all the responsibility.

I am not enough.

Amidst the darkness, I kept bumping against this word – hope. I started noticing how often I use it.

I just hope things get better.

I hope the sun comes out tomorrow.

But that didn’t seem to give me much hope.

So what is hope and what am I hoping for?

 

Hebrews 6:17-20

Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf.

I have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. Hope isn’t something I need when the skies are blue and the sea is glossy. I need hope when I can’t see the horizon line for the waves. I need hope when I’ve been blown around in circles so many times I don’t know which way is North anymore. I need hope when things seem hopeless.

What that verse tells me is when things get too scary outside, I can go inside – to Jesus. 

When my life feels like a boat battered by the waves, my hope is anchored to Jesus. And this anchor isn’t tied to a shallow tree branch. This anchor is tied to the ocean floor. The storm I face may be scary, but when I’m holding onto an anchor like that, I’m not going anywhere!

For instance, when my mind screams home-schooling shouldn’t be this hard and I wish my kids were in school, my anchor tugs at my arm reminding me, He who calls me is faithful. He is the God of hope who will fill me to overflowing with hope. He will supply all my needs.

When the kids won’t listen and the house is a wreck, I must throw out my anchor that He is enough and is making me enough to meet the needs for the day.

Hope is more than a flippant word for things to get better. It’s not a hope that I’ll do better next time or that the sun will come out tomorrow. Home-schooling may never get easier for me and I may experience many dark days.

My hope lies within the veil and extends beyond this life. Because I have trusted Jesus as my Savior, one day I will meet Him face to face and be excepted into His Kingdom. In the meantime, He will not leave me to battle the waves alone and He will use the lessons I’ve learned to calm my heart and trust in Him when the next storm rolls in.

Can I pray for you?

Father you are good. Thank you for the storms of life that deepen our hope in you. You are always faithful and trustworthy. I pray for my friend reading this. I pray she would not be afraid. I pray she would not lose hope. I pray she knows you see her. You want to be her anchor. I pray she will place all her hope in you and that you will anchor her soul. Help us as we home-school our children and do our best to fulfill what you’ve called us to do. It’s hard Lord. But with you all things are possible. We believe. Help us in our unbelief! In Jesus name, Amen.

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For the next 30 days I am committing to write about this word, hope. I’m specifically going to be talking about how it pertains to my home-schooling days.

I am going to pull back the curtain to what our home-school REALLY looks like from day to day. I’m also going to share the story of last year when 2 of my kids went to public school due to my life turning upside down and how things are going now that they’re back home. I will share the funny things, the hard things, the things I’d rather you NOT know, but I hope you feel more human and normal now that you know them. Ultimately I will share the HOPE I have found in Jesus to be my anchor for my home-schooling when I could find hope in NOTHING else. I hope you’ll join me on this 31 day adventure and be encouraged to keep going through the hard days yourself. And I’d love for you to invite your friends to join the journey as well – we all need a little more HOPE! If you haven’t already, sign up to receive an email message of HOPE every day in October!

Download this picture with today’s verse by clicking the link below!

we-have-this-hope-as-an-anchor-for-the-soul-firm-and-secure-hebrews-6-19

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This post is apart of a 31 day writing challenge. To find more stories of hope, click HERE.