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OF COURSE, HOPE

Good morning! My small group is doing a summer study of the Book of Ephesians and we are taking turns writing daily devotions to study and encourage each other. I am so very blessed that I got to write one on Hope today🌼🌸.

OF COURSE, HOPE
What is this HOPE we have been called to share?
Susie Walden

Ephesians 1:17-19Living Bible (TLB)
16-17 I have never stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you wisdom to see clearly and really understand who Christ is and all that he has done for you. 18 I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can see something of the hope He has called you to share. I want you to realize that God has been made rich because we who are Christ’s have been given to him! 19 I pray that you will begin to understand how incredibly great his power is to help those who believe him. It is that same mighty power….

OF COURSE, HOPE!

Good morning. Of course, I am going to take every opportunity to speak about hope. My favorite word in the universe.

In this passage in Ephesians, Paul is praying. Love the way he prays! He is praying in verse 18 for God to open the eyes of our hearts so that we are able to see the hope He has called us to share.

So, the first requirement is to
Open the eyes of your heart.
So that it is filled? No! So that is it FLOODED with light, so then you can see clearly this HOPE. This hope that will not disappoint.(Romans 5:5) This hope that is an anchor for your soul (Hebrews 6:19). This hope, Christ, our only hope of glory !(Colossians 1:27)

Wow. There is enough in this one verse to keep me encouraged all week.

How then do I open the eyes of my heart?

The word ‘heart‘ in Scripture signifies the very core and centre of life, where the intelligence has its post of observation, where the stores of experience are laid up.

I like this explanation of where many of us find ourselves…”Too many Christian hearts have no eyes (places where they gain real knowledge and understanding), and too many Christian eyes have no heart…."God wants both to be combined in us.

And the secret? It is ours for the asking. To believe that He keeps his promises and wants us to know Him and share this amazing hope.

So my challenge for you today is:
Do you know this Hope? Do you share it?
Do you speak the language of hope to your family and friends and coworkers?

If the native tongue of your heart is more often whining and complaining, change the language of your heart right now. To Hope. As a Christian, Hope is the native tongue of one who is believing, waiting, trusting, Sharing. Learn to speak the language of hope fluently, with confidence. Because for many, hope is like a foreign language to you and it is hard for you to become fluent in the language of Hope. And we are called to be people of Hope.

And yet Hope is not just for me because of my counseling practice, Journey to Hope. It is for all of us who have opened the eyes of our heart. It is for you. And we are to live hope, breathe hope and share hope with a world that feels hopeless.

Much love and HOPE prayed for you, Susie💙

Choose to Live

I am sharing something today that is painful to read, to think about, to remember. A client, Marilyn, has given me permission to share her story in the hopes that it might help someone else who is struggling to choose life. This post is for you and for those you love and who love you. Today, February 17th, 2017 marks the day just one year ago, when her husband chose to end his life by suicide. He left behind his wife and three boys who thought the world of their Dad. He was also a beloved middle school teacher. Here is Marilyn's story. May I just say thank you for allowing me to share it? Walking with you in this journey of grappling with the pain and healing is an honor and a privilege. You are a beautiful, strong woman of faith that I have grown to care for very much. I pray for continued healing for you and your boys.

In Christ, Susie

 

"Tomorrow would be Ray's 51st birthday and in two weeks it will be one year since he died which is really hard to believe! There are still so many unanswered questions. There are still so many emotions. I know that everyone who knew Ray was as shocked as we were. It's still so hard to grasp that he did what he did. My hope is to be transparent...to allow this tragedy to educate us all and to teach us to never minimize depression and anxiety. Ray was apparently in such an emotionally dark place that he truly believed he was doing us a favor by leaving us. He was unable to recognize this internal lie or to see the depths of the pain he would cause. I believe his intentions were never to hurt us...any of us! But he did hurt us...all of us. Yet there is much to be grateful for. We will always be thankful for Ray's life; his commitment to his family; his faith; the love, fun and laughter that he brought to our lives; and the years we had him. He will never be forgotten. His memories will always live on in so many positive ways. We are grateful for that and for him! But we will always wish his story had not ended like this. He had so much to live for! He made a decision that he made alone. We cannot take responsibility for his action. However, my hope is we will all be more aware and better equipped to recognize and help those in pain.

To anyone who might be considering suicide, please don't do it! Please get help. Tell someone! Call a family member, a friend, a pastor, a counselor, a hotline, someone, anyone! The national suicide prevention hotline is 1-800-273-TALK (8255). There is no shame in admitting you are struggling with depression or with thoughts of suicide. There is no shame in asking for help!! Depression is real and awful but your life is worth fighting for!! There are many people who care!! Don't leave your family wondering why they weren't enough to keep you from choosing to leave them. It's devastating!

To those of us who don't struggle with depression, it is very difficult for us to imagine suicide as a thought let alone an option. Please know it is real and please reach out to anyone you see who might be struggling. Don't be afraid. Be bold! Ask THE question; put it on the table; offer to take them for an assessment or to the hospital. Ask what you can do to help.

Ray hid his intentions well. He did not want us to know his plans. He and I had many deep conversations about his struggles but he never let on he was suicidal. I know I could not have been any more supportive or encouraging than I was. Yet knowing now what I know, I would have been bolder in our discussions. I believed he was sharing everything. He wasn't.

My family will be processing this trauma and tragedy the rest of our lives. I chose to see Susie at Journey to Hope, a licensed Christian professional counselor to help me process through the pain, to get to a place of forgiveness, and to get to a healthy place again. It is through difficult work and God's grace that I am healing and will continue to heal. I have learned a lot including that it is impossible to get healthy if you attempt to avoid the pain.

I know this tragedy has touched many of you deeply as well and I hope and pray you are healing. Healing does not mean forgotten. It means coming to acceptance of what is and being in an emotionally healthy place.

I am thankful for all of the support that my family and I have had over this year. It has been tremendous! Thank you! We will forever be grateful to all of you. I hope sharing my journey is helpful to you. Sending love, hugs, prayers, and appreciation to each of you!"

How is Blue Monday, 2017 going for you so far?

I posted this original blog a few years ago, and guess what.  It's January again! and Blue Monday, again! Thought it would be worth revisiting today.

January…is it really the most depressing month of the year? For many of us, it rings true. There has been research conducted worldwide which would support depressive symptoms at record highs during the month of January, regardless of location, climate, socioeconomic situation. It is my opinion that there is something to this whole idea. As we return to work and school after the holidays, there is an automatic let down that the days off and gathering together has come to an end, and a return to the M-F work or school week can create some sadness. Other factors that influence this time of year for many are

  • the fact that January is the month that the bills come in for the gifts purchased at Christmas, making January the month of the year when there is less disposable income .

  • the fact that in much of the world, the weather in January is unrelenting, either cold or rainy or snowy or a combination of all of the above. Weather and gray skies have long been associated with the blues.

  • And, it is the height of flu season!  

  • Add to that the sad truth that there are more relationship breakups or changes in January than in any other month. People do not want to break up, change, or end a relationship just before or during the holidays, so January is that month where many take steps to make changes in their lives, and this often includes relationship changes.

  • Finally, there are the New Year’s resolutionaries. We choose January as our start over month, whether it be fitness, or our diet, or weight loss, and creating those new habits pretty much takes up the first 3 weeks of January. Developing those new disciplines in bodies that are resistant can create mood changes. Just being hungry all the time can create mood changes.

Are you feeling depressed yet? Wait, there is more. Many proclaim the third Monday of January as the most depressing day of the year, and have coined it Blue Monday. There are a few articles that posit the first Monday in January when we all return to normal as Blue Monday, but whichever day is truly the most depressing day, it stems from all of the factors listed above.

So, if you have been feeling blue, and it not usual for you, take heart and join the rest of the world for a few weeks of the blues. Understand that while you may be depressed, some of the contributing factors this month are being felt all over the world! What role does faith have in Blue Monday and in the most depressing month of the year? I think that our faith is what sustains us when the blues come, and they will come. Putting your faith and trust in a God who can turn any situation around and always wants you to not lose hope,and to never give up. Lean into Him this month and on Blue Monday. Let Him sustain you. I really like Lamentations 3:21-23,

(Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: 22 The faithful love of the Lord never ends !His mercies never cease.23 Great is his faithfulness his mercies begin afresh each morning(NLT)

as a remedy when the blues are threatening my personal outlook. New beginnings and second chances and the gift of each new day…..God’s specialty. Especially in January. Blessings, Susie

Interesting links about Blue Monday and January depression:

http://mashable.com/2014/01/06/most-depressing-day-of-the-year/

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/35486637/