{Hope in the Midst}

The alarm went off at 5:00 AM. Snooze was hit a few times before my husband gently tugged the covers and pushed me off my pillow.

"Come on honey, boots on the ground!" he said.  (I had known I would need his help getting up.  I am sooo not a morning person.)

For reasons that will remain yet unwritten, I got up, and stumbled down the hall to start getting ready.

There was a meeting to attend before I headed to the office.

Was it worth getting up so early for?

I hoped that it would be, but still wasn't sure.

It was pitch black when I pulled out of the driveway.

The neighbor's dogs weren't even out yet to bark at me, as they usually are every other morning.

I stop for coffee on the way, hoping that some smooth brewed java will help to jolt my brain awake.

A little further, and I pull into the parking lot.   I see a familiar car, so I know I've found the right entrance.

Into the office I go, and further still, I step into a conference room.

Men were filing in, some in dress shirts and ties, other in jeans or sweater vests.

A blend of men, but all with a couple of very distinct in similarities.

High-level executives. Christian. Trying to make their businesses better.

Men with strong desires for Integrity. Honesty. Commitment. Perseverance.

I sat in the middle of a one hour round-table discussion and was shocked.  My preconceived notions were shattered.... in a good way.

These were business leaders, trying to gain encouragement from other people in similar situations. They love God, and want to spend an hour every week away from the corporate rat-race in a place where they can lay their cards-on-the-table and be truthful, honest, and real about the difficulties they face in business, and as Christians in a stressful environment.   

It was their haven.

For an hour I was able to join them in conversation. Business issue resolution, employee conflict, encouraging positive attitudes, giving the business hope and an optimistic outlook when the "world" thinks everything is bleak. These men were passionate, hopeful, driven, and in love with God.

The most profound point I walked away with?

 

via

The world looks at people as either optimists or pessimists -- they are categorized as being either "glass half full" or "glass half empty" kind of people. But as one man pointed out, that is still "the world's thinking." As Christians, we should be showing the world that your glass can be 100% full.

We need to focus on looking Up, more than looking around. When the economy is tanking and businesses are struggling, our glass is still completely full, because we know who fills it. We have Christ.  We have abundant hope.

Sometimes this is hard for me to remember.

I work in the business world, and there are days when it is brutal beyond words.  But this gave me hope. Hope for my city. Hope for the hearts of people in business leadership. This was a reminder that God is bigger than the problems I see around me. Bigger than the struggling companies and declining job market.

I left renewed.

I went to work and felt like at least for this moment....for today.... my glass was 100% full.

What about your glass? Where is your fill line?

(So was it worth getting up so early? I might be on my third mug of coffee, but it was completely worth it.)

Linking up with:

{Reflect}

You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. 

-Matthew 5:14-16-

via

Jesus did not come to earth and offer His life so we could be like everybody else.  He was (is) willing to link His reputation to ours, so why are we willing to be like the rest of the world? 

Have we been seduced by the world’s ideas?

Have we become lovers of money and gossip? 

Forgotten the sacredness of marriage?

Are we allowing our sin nature to be fed through grudges and anger?

Do we spend our life showing mercy, caring about those around us, and striving for honesty and integrity, or are we living a life of self-gratification? 

The command to reflect Christ spread across the world and into all cultures and various churches throughout the New Testament, even into the book of Revelation.  

Despite the temples to false gods, shrines, orgies, and laws to worship the Caesar, they were still called to be set apart.  To live a life without compromise.  To reflect God in a world and culture where very few did.

I want my Lord to be able to say to me that "I know our deeds, your love, your faithfulness, and your perseverance..." (Revelation 2:19)

As believers in Jesus Christ, I am called.

Chosen. 

Part of a royal Priesthood.

   A counter-culture.  

 This means that my actions should set me apart. 

Jesus died on that cross and shed His blood to save me. 

He chose me.  

Why?

To be a reflection of Him. 

{Streams of Water}

As the deer pants for streams of water,

so my soul pants for you, my God.

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.

Where can I go and meet with Him?

Psalm 42: 1-2

via

Over the last few years I have become increasingly thankful for the Internet.  I have found a community that is a place for encouragement among godly women, with those who take time to share their hearts with the rest of us and reach out to bless us with their words.  

I am hoping to start sharing some of my "finds" on a weekly basis, and maybe they will bless your heart as well.  God has helped use these words to be shade in my desert during long days in a secular work environment, where everything goes against what He desires for me to be.  

Find yourself a quiet corner and a mug of steaming coffee...

Ann Voskamp: http://www.aholyexperience.com/2011/10/when-its-hard/

Excerpt:  Psalm 107  Read it because it’s manna and and you’ve got nothing to give if you haven’t gathered, and you have to gather it at daybreak if you are going to gain from it the daylong.

It is a better thing to have a trouble, and know how to get grace enough to bear it. And we get grace enough to bear it — when we run into the arms of Grace who bore it all, into Him Who is more than enough.


Angie Smith  http://angiesmithonline.com/2011/10/higher/

Excerpt: I went through something terrible that many people go through, and I loved the Lord through it. Because of circumstances I didn’t create or ask for, He chose to use me.

And if that doesn’t humble me, I don’t know what will.

I used to cry after I spoke because I felt like I messed up.

Now I cry because I know He loves me in spite of it, and it’s too much.

It’s grace at work, and I get to report to duty every day.


Stacey: http://www.29lincolnavenue.com/2011/10/31-days-day-2-your-legacy-is-worth-it/

Excerpt:  The life of faith is not for the faint of heart, and He wants to give you a promise for today. The hard day.

SarahMae: http://www.likeawarmcupofcoffee.com/home/2011/09/pushing-into-hope-on-never-being-beyond-his-amazing-grace/

Excerpt: I am a mess, and my heart is so ugly sometimes, but God makes me beautiful because of Jesus’ sake. He loves me and redeems my heart. I will not listen to the lies of condemnation that come from the enemy, because in Him, I have been forgiven and set free. 

His grace is enough,