Love always hopes

Quiet Times for Moms of Littles

Editor’s Note:

This is the thirteenth in a collection of spiritual reflections on the famous passage on Love in 1 Corinthians 13, written and compiled at the end of 2019. Two of our sisters in Christ – Jan Mitchell and Mary Shapiro (see their bios at the end of this article)– lead a group of young mothers and wanted to create a quiet time series for them on the theme of Love. This series is the fruit of that effort.

The dictionary tells us that hope is an expectation for a certain thing to happen. There is an entire branch in psychology on hope theory. I love how every now and then psychology catches up to what God has been talking about for centuries. \n\nHuman beings spend a lot of time thinking about the future. There are 3 fundamental ways we think about the future.

1). Fantasizing or daydreaming - nothing to do with reality

2). Dwelling or worrying - hyper focus our thinking on all the bad things that could happen in the future

3). Hoping - exciting thoughts about the future but still realistic.

There is a 12% gain in academic performance when students found themselves hopeful. High hope students are more likely to graduate than low hope students.High hope people can tolerate more pain than those with less hope. The research shows that hopeful people live longer. We were meant to be hopeful beings by God. Hope is good for our health and the way we interact with the world. It has very positive effects. How do you become more hopeful? Set a realistic goal for your future.

-Agency - What are the specific steps I need to take in order to reach my goal? Pathways - What do I need to accomplish this goal? Money? Equipment? Resources? Who can hold me accountable to this goal? This type of planning is very different than wishful thinking. You consider how you are going to get from here to there.

What does God say about hope? There 180 occurrences of hope in the NIV. Ephesians 2 - Good works that God has prepared in advance for us to do. It is not wrong to hope for good things. We need to be asking God about things we need to be hoping for. We have a hope that outlasts our life on earth. Hebrews 6:16-19 "People swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all arguments. Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. No matter what happens to us in this life, we are secured to Christ. We are to put our hope in God.\n\nPsalm 33:18 - "But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love" Psalm 62:5 - "Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him.

One of the biggest comforts for me this year is knowing that God is sovereign and He is still in charge. Isaiah tells us that God calls out the stars by name. God encourages us to put our hope in his promises.

Romans 4:18 - ''Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed" We need each other when we feel hopeless. We need to get active and make our hope more of a reality.

Hebrews 11 - Look at how many action words are in this passage. They were acting on their faith and their hope. We cannot forget prayer.

James 5:16b - "The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective

Jan Mitchell : Jan has been a disciple for over 40 years. She and her husband, Mitch, have been married for 43 years, been on staff at 6 different churches, have 2 children and 3 grandchildren. She is a die-hard Wolfpack fan, and enjoys spending time teaching and training, traveling and playing outside with their grandchildren. She currently lives in the greater Raleigh, NC area.

Dr. Mary Shapiro is currently the Director of the ADHD Clinic at Duke Medical School's Southern Regional Area Health Education Center in Fayetteville, North Carolina, where she specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD, behavior disorders, and other childhood conditions. For the 30 years prior to moving to North Carolina, she and her husband, Dr. Michael Shapiro, were in private practice in Athens, Georgia, where they served children and adults in predominately rural and underserved areas. She completed her PhD in Educational Psychology at the University of Georgia in 1984 and interned in the Department of Neurology at the Medical College of Georgia. She and her husband have lectured extensively (both domestically and abroad) on topics related to child psychology, parenting, marriage, adoption, and mental health issues in a Christian context. They have authored two publications for Discipleship Press International; “Rejoice Always: A Manual for Christians Facing Emotional Challenges” and “Understanding Sexual Behavior in Children: How to be Proactive in Educating and Protecting your Children.

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