Keep a Grip on Hope

 

Lamentations 3:55–57 (NLT)
“But I called on your name, Lord, from deep within the pit. You heard me when I cried, ‘Listen to my pleading! Hear my cry for help!’ Yes, you came when I called; you told me, ‘Do not fear.’”

“Get me out of this!”
That was the only prayer I could manage in one of the darkest moments of my life. A failed relationship had left me broken—and if I’m being real, I probably should’ve seen it coming. I ignored every red flag and caution light because when youth, immaturity, and a desperate need for attention collide, it’s easy to fall for the wrong person and even easier to fall apart afterward.

He was a charming bodybuilder, the kind who knew exactly what to say and when to say it. He gave me the affection I was starving for, and before I knew it, I was all in. But the truth is, not every connection is a covering. And not every relationship is from God.

Looking back, I realize I can’t even blame him for the crash—I knew better. I just didn’t do better. My grandmother used to say, “A hard head makes a soft behind.” I never liked hearing it as a child, but I’ve come to understand what she meant. When you’ve been warned, taught, or told what’s wise, and you still choose the opposite—well, that’s on you.

Romans 1:22 (NLT) sheds light on this truth: “Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools.”
That was me. Thinking I knew better, thinking I was in control, thinking I could handle it. But wisdom isn’t about what you know in your head—it’s about what you apply to your life. And the only way to gain real wisdom is to be rooted in God’s Word.

For a long time, I thought that accepting Jesus Christ as Lord would exempt me from pain and struggle. But life taught me otherwise. And more importantly, the Word of God showed me that tribulation builds character. That storms can produce strength. That even in the pit, God is close.

He tells us over and over again to be strong and courageous. And if you’re not already? Life will train you. Trials will either break you or build you—and with God, they always build.

I’ve heard people say, “Things can’t get any worse.” But Lamentations 3:30 (NLT) reminds us, “Let them turn the other cheek to those who strike them and accept the insults of their enemies.” Why? Because the worst is never the worst when God is in it. He will not leave you. He will not forsake you. And He will not leave you defenseless.

When life throws you hard things—loss, heartbreak, rejection, failure—you need to know you’re not going through it alone. That kind of confidence in God’s presence can change how you suffer. It doesn’t erase the pain, but it gives it purpose. And it gives you peace.

So hold on. Keep your grip on hope. You may be in the pit, but you’re not staying there. Cry out to God. He hears you. He’s coming close. And He’s already saying, “It’s going to be all right.”

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

“Keep a Grip on Hope”, written by Kim for https://rescuefromdomesticviolence.blogspot.com© 2024. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

Jesus Christ is the Door

 

When family, friends, and those you once trusted turn on you, it’s easy to feel utterly abandoned. Lately, a friend of mine has been facing this harsh reality, feeling as if the world is caving in around her. “I can’t trust anyone anymore!” she says. Sadly, this sense of uncertainty is not unique to her. For many born-again believers today, the very foundation we once relied on—our relationships, jobs, and self-confidence—feels increasingly shaky. Some of these things are beginning to crumble, and we’re tempted to let them affect our faith. Christians who once declared their love for the Lord are now questioning His love for them. They’re losing focus and not as committed to God as they once were, but this is a mistake. We should never allow anything in this world to deter us from trusting God wholeheartedly and fulfilling His purpose.

Our Lord and Savior warned us of how difficult things would become in the last days. In Matthew 10:21-22 (NLT), he said, “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father will betray his own child. Children will rebel against their parents and cause them to be killed. And all nations will hate you because you are my followers. But everyone who endures to the end will be saved.” This is happening everywhere, just as he foretold.

Even so, we must not lose hope. Our Lord took every obstacle we could ever face and overcame it on the cross. Jesus Christ knows all that’s happening to us. He said in Revelation 3:7-8(NLT) “This is the message from the one who is holy and true, the one who has the key of David. What he opens, no one can close; and what he closes, no one can open. “I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can close.”” He has clearly explained in this passage that only he holds our tomorrows. Only he opens and closes doors for us. He said in John 10:9 (NKJV), “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.” Jesus is the only way to find safety and fulfillment, and through him, we can experience a life of freedom, security, and peace, despite any condition or circumstance we face.

We cannot allow our behavior to suggest that following the world is the answer. The world’s foundation is weak, and it can never yield the fulfillment, purpose, and peace that comes from aligning our lives with the example of Christ. He’s the Door! Through him, we can walk into the breakthrough and opportunities we’re praying to receive. When we place our trust in him, we tap into the Source of our strength and confidence. The world has nothing that compares to this—nothing that brings lasting peace, true purpose, or the security of knowing we are firmly rooted in His love.

Feeling alone and rejected, many of us listen to the adversary when he whispers that we’re nothing, and that we are unworthy of God’s blessings. In those moments, we can spiral into deeper despair, thinking that we don’t have an escape and that God has abandoned us. But our Heavenly Father will never do this. He promises in Hebrews 13:5 (NLT), “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” His love is constant and unfailing, and He is always near, even when we cannot feel His presence.

There are no words to describe how difficult life can be at times, especially when we feel that no one understands our pain. It’s challenging to rise above it all when we really don’t feel like it, but we can’t allow our emotions to dictate our actions and behaviors during these times. If we do, we might do something that isn’t wise, loving, or advantageous to our lives. The best possible strategy is to lean on God’s grace. Through the Apostle Paul, He tells us in 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NLT), “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” God's grace is sufficient, and in our weakest moments, His power is made perfect.

Our Heavenly Father’s plans for us are filled with hope, and His timing is perfect. With absolute certainty, we can trust that we are cherished, worthy, and deeply loved by Him. God tells us in His Word that Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son and our beloved Savior, is the door to all that He has in store for us. Jesus declared in John 14:6 (NLT), “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” Don’t allow despair to cause you to look for comfort and restoration anywhere else. Only Jesus Christ can lead us to victory, and he will lift us higher as we lean totally on his guidance and trust that he is the way through every trial, and the path to our healing and breakthrough. ■

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. 

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

“Jesus Christ Is the Door”, written by Kim for https://rescuefromdomesticviolence.blogspot.com© 2024. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

God's Love is the Anchor that Holds Us Steady

 

When Aliza took her first cooking class, she could hardly contain her excitement. Becoming a chef was a life-long dream, and she had almost started to believe she'd never achieve it. As a teenage mother at 17, with only her mother to depend on for support, Aliza had barely finished high school. She went to work part-time immediately after graduating and at 20, married the father of her child. He was only a year older than she was, and their marriage was rocky from the start. With a dream deferred, living paycheck to paycheck, with one problem after the other, Aliza was exhausted, disappointed, and angry all the time. One morning, during one of their many heated arguments, she hit her husband with an iron, and at 26, she found herself in anger management class with a marriage that was falling apart and a child that was acting out in school. 

Many of us grow up without learning how to apply faith and build upon it so that we maintain balance when things get hard. The emotional toll that life can take on us and our relationships can be devastating, and we might end up feeling angry at the world, incomplete, and unequipped to turn things around. In times like these, it’s easy to feel like we are drowning in our own struggles. And when we are forced to comply with outside interventions, we might feel even more powerless to change our lives for the better. Rather than sinking into an abyss of hopelessness, we can make a different choice. We can look to God and allow our faith in Him to become the anchor that holds us steady. 

The Apostle Paul was struggling with an issue that was very troubling. He took this to the Lord three times, and 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NLT) tells us, “Each time he said, ‘My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.’ So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.” God's grace is a strategy for victorious living. You might ask, “how does this look in my own personal circumstances?” Well, most of us don't want to admit or show our vulnerabilities. We try to keep them hidden, but nothing in the dark stays hidden. So, when we refuse to confront issues of anger, disappointment, sadness, and other emotional heavies, with God’s love, life is designed by Him to show us what we're refusing to see, and often this isn't pleasant. Our vulnerabilities are exposed in a way that calls us to attend to them. 

God doesn't force us to trust Him and put on more of His love, instead He will guide us if we allow it. When we feel like we're at our lowest, that is when we should choose the strategy of God's grace. We should consciously avail ourselves to the Father and lean on His strength, which is infinitely beyond our own. In our most vulnerable moments, His power shines brightest. Isaiah 40:29 (NLT) tells us, “He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless.” It’s a reminder that, no matter how small or insignificant we feel, God is always ready to meet us where we are and offer His strength when we need it. Our privilege and obligation are to simply choose to receive it, trusting that His love is always enough.

Building faith isn’t just about standing tall when everything is smooth; it’s about trusting God when the storms of life come crashing in. He is inviting us to trust Him more deeply, to rely on His grace, and to let His power work through us in ways that we may not fully understand, but that ultimately transform our lives. 

This transformation doesn't happen overnight. Many of us spend years trying to handle things on our own, relying on our own strength. We've believed the wrong things about God and ourselves, and those beliefs have shaped our actions, attitudes, and behaviors. It took time to build the life we have now, and it will take time to release the things that are holding us back. But as we begin to embrace the promises in God's Word, those promises will empower us to move forward. Philippians 1:6 (NLT) tells us, “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” This verse assures us that God is actively working in our lives, even when transformation feels slow. He is faithful to complete the work He started in us, shaping us into the people He created us to be as we surrender to His love.

As a young mom and wife who didn't know much about God’s Word and promises, Aliza was headed down a path of self-sabotage and anger, but God had a plan that was infinitely better than the one she had for herself. Her anger management counselor said that faith had helped many people come to grips with their anger. Those words ministered to Aliza more than she realized. As time progressed, she strengthened her faith through deep reflection, prayer, and seeking understanding of God’s love and promises. With the support of her husband and others who encouraged her to trust in God’s grace, Aliza began to change the direction of her life. 

She learned to surrender her anger, disappointments, and past mistakes to our Heavenly Father, and in return, she received healing and strength. Her marriage did not instantly become perfect, and problems didn’t disappear, but she began to see everything through new eyes, and anger no longer defined her. Slowly, but confidently, she is pursuing her dream of becoming a chef, and her life has become a testimony of God’s transformative power. She knows with all her heart that His love is the anchor that holds her steady and guides her to the future that He has planned for her life.  ■

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

“God’s Love is the Anchor that Holds Us Steady”, written by Kim for https://rescuefromdomesticviolence.blogspot.com© 2024. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

Endure or Walk Away

Building a life with a loving husband and adoring children is a dream many women share. Given the divorce rate in our society, many couples feel blessed if they've managed to stay married without being torn apart by hurtful words, emotional pain, or physical abuse. Recently, I spoke with a woman in her late sixties who decided to divorce her husband after forty years of marriage. “I endured it long enough – abuse doesn’t always leave visible scars,” she said. The idea of enduring for so long and thinking you can “make it work” is something many women can relate to.

Endurance is a strong, intangible word that carries a lot of weight. Although it’s not something we can physically touch, it conveys a sense of strength, perseverance, and resilience. It speaks to a person’s ability to stand firm in Christ amid a season of difficulties and challenges.

Endurance signifies our capacity to keep going despite tiredness and the darts the enemy throws our way. It takes physical, mental, and emotional stamina, solidifying the reality that endurance is a benchmark of inner spiritual strength. The Apostle Paul said in Hebrews 12:1 (NLT), “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.” Life’s challenges can weigh us down, but God calls us to persevere because what we stand to gain is a prize worthy of our calling. We’re not to keep looking back to the past. Our privilege and responsibility are to keep our eyes focused on Jesus Christ as we run our race.  

Someone might ask, “Well, how much am I supposed to take?” The kind of endurance our Heavenly Father is pointing us to doesn’t involve abuse. It’s not about allowing someone to push us to the point of breaking or enduring unnecessary suffering. Instead, it’s about finding strength in Him during trials and learning to persevere through difficulties with grace and faith. God’s call to endure means trusting His plan, standing firm in His love, and holding onto hope, even when the road is tough. It’s about relying on His strength to overcome challenges, not bearing burdens and suffering that God never intended for His children.

1 Corinthians 10:13 (NLT) tells us, “The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.” Hardly any other thing in life will challenge us in the way that significant relationships do. Through them, the devil will bring many temptations, and they are no joke. They vehemently come against our faith and well-being, but God is faithful. He provides a way out of temptation. This is a truth we sometimes overlook, but it’s crucial to remember. Even in the midst of relationship struggles, God is working for our good. If we’re suffering abuse, He will always show us a way out. We can trust this wholeheartedly.  

Romans 5:3-5 (NLT) encourages us to deepen our faith in how God uses trials and temptations for our good when the enemy sent them to harm us. This passage says, “3 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. 5 And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.” These verses show us that although God doesn’t cause our difficulties, He will employ them to shape our character and increase our hope. The endurance we build through trials not only strengthens us but also draws us closer to Him, reminding us of His love and faithfulness through the Holy Spirit.

When relationships get tough, the key is knowing when to press on with greater endurance and when it’s time to gather the strength to leave and seek God’s rescue. Not every challenge in a relationship is meant to be endured indefinitely; some situations require boundaries, healing, or even decision to walk away. The Holy Spirit helps guide us in these moments, giving us the wisdom to know the difference. It’s in seeking God’s guidance that we find the clarity to make choices that honor both our well-being and His Will for our lives. Ultimately, the goal is to grow in faith and character, trusting that God will provide the strength to endure or the direction to leave the past behind and move forward in His perfect plan. ■

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

“Endure or Walk Away”, written by Kim for https://rescuefromdomesticviolence.blogspot.com© 2024. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.