Hope Is Freedom

My nephew was in the hospital for 65 days. He’s been a quadriplegic for 40 years and up until this hospital stay he’s been able to manage life and live independently with the use of trained helpers.

For 65 days many people have been by his side. They have offered help, but more importantly, they have offered him Jesus in the way they act and conduct their lives. And my nephew has listened, requesting prayers before they left the room. My husband and I have watched expectantly knowing God was going to show up in a mighty way in His perfect timing.

But the looming problem: my nephew was losing hope. He had fought a good fight, but he wasn’t healing like he should. For 64 days the hospital staff changed his orders many times, and we watched as his condition changed from grave to poor, but never really getting any better. Then on day 65, the surgeon walked in and told him to go home and see if he could manage better with his helpers. He was released that day.

He still has a battle ahead of him, but being home has offered hope. Many issues have arisen, but he’s had a tremendous support group who has rushed in to help. His faith is growing. As faith grows, hope grows.

On Monday, we celebrate the 4th of July, Independence Day, when 13 colonies celebrated their freedom as a new nation with a new home – the United States of America.

Our forefathers had renewed hope when they were freed from British rule. They knew they would have issues ahead, but they were ready to move forward and succeed as a new nation.

“Hope is the thing that gets us up in the morning when we know that God cares but we haven’t seen any evidence of it in the last few days. Hope drives us onward when we stop and quit. Hope keeps our dreams alive while we are waiting.” (Dr. David Jeremiah)

How about you? Are you facing circumstances that are taxing your hope?

Attend a 4th of July celebration, remember and feel the power of hope that is still vital 240 years after our battle for freedom.

Take that hope home and pray for God’s intercession in your life, trials, struggles, and heartbreak. Ask God to help you revitalize your hope. Hope is the freedom to move forward and live life to its fullest.

Happy 4th of July! God bless you all,

Spiritual Gifts

1 Corinthians 12:4-11

 4 Now there are different gifts, but the same Spirit.
 5 There are different ministries, but the same Lord.
 6 And there are different activities, but the same God
      activates each gift in each person.

 7 A demonstration of the Spirit is given to each person to produce what is beneficial: 

 8. to one is given a message of wisdom through the Spirit, to another, a message of             knowledge by the same Spirit,

9  to another, faith by the same Spirit, to another, gifts of healing by the one Spirit,
10  to another, the performing of miracles, to another, prophecy, to another, distinguishing between spirits, to another, different kinds of languages, to another, interpretation of languages.
11 But one and the same Spirit is active in all these, distributing to each person as He wills.

Years ago I heard a Sunday school teacher talk about Spiritual gifts. I did not have a clue what the woman was talking about. Later I asked her. Don’t ask these things if you aren’t willing to hear the answer. I sat patiently trying to absorb the meanings of words that were foreign and irrelevant to me. Distinguishing between spirits? In the neighborhood I grew up in, I figured it must mean whether they bought Jack Daniels or Kentucky Gentlemen. No, seriously . . . I had no reference for “holy matters”.

The class teacher gave me a “Spiritual Gifts” test. I’m ashamed to say this, but I was truly bummed out about that test. Reading Corinthians, I hoped for something huge and magnificent, like performing miracles or healing. Dummy me thought as soon as that test was over I’d miraculously receive a dart from heaven. Wham! Gift applied!

As it turned out, the teacher sat down with me and explained the Holy Spirit had blessed me with the gift of hospitality. HOSPITALITY! You gotta be joking!!!! It was all I could do to contain my rotten self.

It took me years to understand the enormous gift I possess. And, I must admit, the Holy Spirit got me dead-on. I love doing for others, from fixing meals to being a caretaker.

In Cries of Innocence, there is a lot of talk about Spiritual gifts.

Romans 12:6-8  “Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.”

I hope you will embrace your Spiritual gifts. And I hope you enjoy reading about the characters in the book who struggle with their gifts, some not understanding, some fully embracing them.

God be with you always!