Lift Your Eyes Beyond Life's Battles: A Vision of Hope

 
Gaze beyond. Lift your eyes from the daily battles—the wounds, the flaws, and the regrets—and peer into eternity. Those who endure the deepest suffering on this earth are chosen for a breathtaking destiny (2 Corinthians 4:17). In this temporary, sometimes arduous existence, you are molding and enriching your eternity through your attitudes and responses.

Focusing on possibilities and solutions while maintaining hope and finding joy in the present creates a sense of gratitude and purpose. I find pleasure in such attitudes from you (Hebrews 11:6). Failures are just feedback and opportunity for

One of these things is not like the others

 

When owls lay eggs they don’t hatch into cats. In the same way, cucumber seeds never produce onions, celery, or corn on the cob. Tulip bulbs do not turn into zinnias, evergreen trees, or forget-me-nots. In nature, you will always reap what you have sown because seeds can only reproduce according to their genetic code (Genesis 1:11-12, 24 NLT).

However, surprisingly, there is a beautiful exception to this rule: "Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy" (Psalm 126:5 NIV). If you have cried yourself to sleep countless times and have faced sorrow, depression, disappointment, and sadness, do not give up. Joy is on the way! Your tears are a secret weapon that have nourished the seeds of joy I have planted in the garden of your life. Difficult times and sorrows are the fertile ground where joy and blessings grow. One day soon joy will satisfy your soul.

I see your tears, and I want you to know they are not wasted. There’s a garden of joy growing right where you stand. Take a moment to look back on your journey—where has joy unexpectedly bloomed in the midst of your struggles? Your joy is on its way. Keep tending to your heart with hope, knowing that the harvest will be more joyful than you can imagine.

With love beyond measure,