Contagious Hope
Surround yourself with people who talk about visions and ideas, not other people. – Akin Olokun
Have you ever sat amongst visionaries: people who dream, dare and inspire? Who are adventurers in their writing, their business or their life? Have you been in the midst of a room so charged with hope that you left feeling like you too, could climb a mountain, build a bridge or sing on America’s Got Talent?
I’m not talking about just dreaming. I’m talking about ridiculous inspirations that stir your heart and spirit into an overflow of expectant hope that you just HAVE to act! You absolutely have to align yourself with what is bubbling in your soul! I heard my daughter say she wanted to be in the medical field and live on a tropical Island. She joined the navy as a Hospital Corpsman and was stationed in Guam. That was 8 years ago. She sided with her hope, but she had to enlist!
Have you ever had a conversation with someone and their inspired hope inspired hope in you? Clearly, I’m not a realist, and I’m certainly not a pessimist. I’m hopelessly curious about the “what if”. I am a planner and a dreamer. If I hear a problem, I begin to think of solutions. I am a horrible person to vent to, but if you want someone to cheer you on in the direction of your hopes, give me a call.
I knew I was called to write, but it was only a dream until I began to put pen to paper, or in these days, fingers to keys. I knew I wanted to teach the word, but I had to get over my nervous stomach. In fact, many times before I would stand on a platform to sing or preach, I would have to use the bathroom 3-5 times (if ya know what I mean…). But I wanted my heart’s desires more than I wanted comfortable. My hopes do not have a chance if I don’t partner with them. If I do not do what is necessary to accomplish what my heart aches for, then I have failed. We must be brave enough to begin. We must have courage enough to believe in our dreams and our hopes. It is not enough to just say, “I trust Jesus”. We must partner with Him and do our part. I believe we must side with hope and put some work into what we have faith for. And in doing so, we will inspire hope in someone else. We must enlist!
When will you ever learn that “believing” is useless without doing what God wants you to? Faith that does not result in good deeds is not real faith. –James 2:20
I’ve sat in conferences and sermons that inspired me, but I have also watched movies that made me believe I could slay dragons, or plow fields for baseball players: Field of dreams, Lord of the Rings, Narnia, Meet the Robinsons, Up. Then there are the books I read to get my hopes up. Anything written by Mark Batterson: The Circle Maker, Lion Chaser, The Grave Robber, and If. I Surround myself with contagious hope. It fuels the fire of my faith.
When I was first diagnosed with all my autoimmune diseases, I had to process the reality of them and their seriousness. I went to work learning about each one of them: what supplements are best, what foods to avoid, etc. I saw my specialist and took my prescriptions, but I also wanted to do more. I wanted to partner with the hope of healing. I prayed and asked God for direction and I educated myself. I read blogs, bought cookbooks, subscribed to YouTube teachings. In time, I found the right diet, the right supplements, and the right medications. I also looked outside the box to a naturopath. My doctor was a good man, but he didn’t agree with the natural ways. So, I had to find someone who believed like I did. The healing is in God’s hands, but I am doing my part to agree with Him. And part of that is eating right and practicing selfcare. In case you’re wondering, I found that the AIP diet and quality supplements have given me relief from many symptoms along with a few of my prescriptions.
Take a page from Disney and surround yourself with those who dream. Frame yourself with those who have a faith bigger than their circumstance. Listen to podcasts, read books, and find that anthem song that makes you fight for your dreams like Rocky, and put it on repeat. The song I have on repeat right now is “Grace to Grace” by Hillsong.
Follow the steps of Abraham who trusted God even though he didn’t know where he was going.
Hebrews 11 is the hall of faith and verse 13a is a clincher; All these people were still living by faith when they died…
Hang around people who pour water on the fires of your fears and throw gasoline on the passions of your dreams. – Kris Vallotton
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