HOPE: A Word of the Year in Review

For several years now {seven years to be exact} I have been choosing one word for the year to focus on. A Word of the Year makes life so much easier...No more New Year's resolutions that I keep for two weeks {if I am lucky}. I can't seem to deal with a lists of to-do's, but I can handle one word.

This past year I chose HOPE. I have been in desperate need of it. Life changed drastically for me in 2013, and since then I have been fighting to get to a "new normal". There was a tremendous amount of pain and heartache. A breaking. A grieving. I wanted to hold on to the hope that things would get better. I would heal. I could feel joy again. This year filled with hope as time slipped by. The intense grieving ceased. I was able to forgive those that caused such pain. I learned to find joy again. Actually, I would have to say that of the seven years I have chosen a Word of the Year this one has been the best! God has taught me so much about hope. So here is a little review of the journey I took this year and how I found my way to hope...

One of the fruitful exercises I started was to collect "Verses of Hope", words from Scripture that gave me something to hang onto in the rough patches. God's Word is brimming with hope. Here are all the posts of the verses I found that brought me through. There are about forty verses! I was so shocked I had collected so many!

Another group of posts I wrote in October were about my journey towards healing with resources, ideas, and encouragement for those are struggling with brokenness. You can find all the posts to 31 Days of Hope and Healing here.

There were also posts along the way I wrote as God taught me about healing and hope. Here are the lessons I learned this year...

The Only Opinion that Really Matters- One of the struggles I have had of late is with my self-worth. Being confronted with severe rejection from others meant that I had to learn Whose opinion of me really matters.

Lessons Learned from Hurt- Some of the most invaluable lessons I have learned have come from those who have hurt me.

When Jealousy Kills- This past year I re-did two Bible studies, Encountering the Healing Power of Forgiveness and Living with Unmet Desires: Exposing the Many Faces of Jealousy since both jealousy and forgiveness played key roles in my life in the past few years. I was able to get greater understanding and healing from re-doing them. 

Praying for your enemies- You wouldn't think praying for your enemies would give you hope, but it DOES! I have been able to overcome the hurt by praying blessings over those who hurt me. Please check out this post as I provide a link to 31 verses I collected to pray for those who cause us emotional damage.

When once is not enough- A lesson on forgiveness.

Journaling to Remember God's Love- One of the best practices I did this year...reminding myself of how much He loves me.

Also, if you are looking for a devotional that deals with hope, check out Candace Crabtree's Wait Only Upon God: 40 Days of Praying the Scriptures in the Waiting. I came to realize HOPE is really waiting on God in your circumstances. When we put our hope in anything or anyone besides Christ we will be disappointed! You can also find a downloadable version of her devotional here. 

I am linking up at the Faith Barista.