I woke up this morning at 3:30.\u00a0 The words “embrace transition”, “embrace change” and “embrace hope” kept rolling around my head.\u00a0
\nAs I think about the story of my life, God continues to remind me that I must embrace the changes that come my way.\u00a0 I must remember\u00a0that God does indeed work all things together for good to those who love\u00a0Him and are called according to His purpose.
\nI am a writer because I want to share the hope I found in the many transitions of my life.\u00a0 The stories of the lives God has allowed me to touch keep me writing and\u00a0sharing the testimony.\u00a0 I want my writing to touch the wounded hearts of my reader and bring them to a place of hope and peace.
\nWe need to hang on to hope.\u00a0 America is in transition.\u00a0 Many of us are facing new challenges.\u00a0 But I want to assure you – There IS hope.
\nWhen I was a\u00a0young seven year old, my dad died of cancer and suddenly I was called fatherless.\u00a0 But God reminded me that He is my Father.\u00a0 My hope in God the Father has sustained me through many transitions.
\nIn fifth grade we moved from our tiny little three bedroom, one bath home to a spacious four bedroom, two bathroom home with a covered porch and a climbing tree in the back yard.\u00a0 \u00a0This transition was fun because all ten of us felt like we lived in a mansion.\u00a0 We no longer had to\u00a0cram seven\u00a0kids in one bedroom.\u00a0 We finally had a shower.\u00a0 My hope in God the Provider has\u00a0kept me in peace \u00a0in difficult times.\u00a0 He always provides.\u00a0 It might look different than I expected, but He always provides.
\nMy heart was broken many times in my\u00a0life because of the death of family and friends.\u00a0 I attended too many funerals before I went to college.\u00a0 I\u00a0also experienced the death of relationships that meant a lot to me.\u00a0 My hope in God the healer of broken hearts is always very real.\u00a0 It still is very real.\u00a0 I often embrace that hope.
\nWhen I felt like a failure because my first marriage lasted only six months, my hope in the Redeemer carried me through some very trying years wrought with poor decisions and difficult consequences.\u00a0 He never left my side.\u00a0 Hope was only a prayer away.
\nMy youngest son Gabriel surprised us all when he was born with an unusually formed body.\u00a0 I hung on to hope with a death grip as I saw my future with uncertain eyes.\u00a0 God never left my side during these years, even though I tried desperately to\u00a0do things my way.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0After Gabe was born I spent two years of striving at work and at home before God really got my attention.\u00a0 I finally surrendered everything to Him.\u00a0 Hope sustained me all these years as we have walked through the challenges of raising a son with a disability.
\nOh I still try to do things my way every now and again.\u00a0 But each day I’m reminded of the hope that has carried me through the years.\u00a0 When I seek direction from the Word of God and pray for His\u00a0instruction,\u00a0 I never doubt that He will lead me where He wants me to go.\u00a0 I just need to embrace that hope and follow his direction.\u00a0 Detours are no fun!
\nI am in another major transition in my life.\u00a0 Gabe is now living in the dorm and doing very well at the University.\u00a0 Zane will graduate from WSU in May and marry his sweetheart, Kelsey in June.\u00a0 Our transition to the empty nest has been challenging because I’m no longer needed as much by my precious boys.\u00a0 But it is also very good.\u00a0
\nI enjoy my time with Steven more than ever before.\u00a0 We actually have time to talk about our hopes and plan for our dreams.\u00a0 He is a lot of fun and we are growing closer every day.
\nEmbrace Hope.\u00a0 I like the sound of that.\u00a0 I know God will give me the grace to maneuver each curve in the road.\u00a0 He’s already proven to be a good guide over the last fifty years of seeking His will.\u00a0 I’m the one who drives off the road and into the ditch when I keep my eyes off Him.\u00a0 But there he is to pick me up, brush me off, and set me back on track.\u00a0 I love that about Jesus.
\nI pray you will embrace hope for whatever is going on in your life.\u00a0 I opened my Bible to Psalm 119 this morning and God spoke to me in the entire chapter.\u00a0 But these two verses have been resonating in my heart all day long.<\/p>\n

^{49<\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/strong> Remember your word to your servant,
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 for you have given me hope. <\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/strong>50<\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/strong> My comfort in my suffering is this:
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Your promise preserves my life. <\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n}