LESSON 3 - HOPE

LESSON 3 - HOPE

Principle 2:  Earnestly believe that God exists, that I matter to Him, and that He has the power to help  me change.

Step 2:  We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

"For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose." Philippians 2:13.

1.  Before taking this step, where were you trying to find hope?  I have been a Christian for quite some time now, so I have always put hope in Christ.  BUT - I haven't always put MOST of my hope in him.  I have also sought hope in myself, my friends, and my therapist.  I used to be quick to act on every little thing - as soon as there was a problem, I would call 10 different people to tell them ALL my story, so I could get their opinions, ultimately hoping for some nugget of hope that things could be better, to be tossed my way by each person I talked to.  God has changed my heart thought, and these days I am much slower to react.  I take time to stop - and pause - and think things through, allowing time for God to tell me what he wants me to know, and THEN I take action.  Now, don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't still pick up the phone when something happens.  But it's to call my BFF and bounce the situation off her, as opposed to broadcasting to anyone and everyone who will listen :)

2.  What do you believe about God? What are some of His characteristics?  I believe God is love - unconditionally.I believe he never leaves my side.  He created all things.  He sent his son to us.  God is faithful.  God is forgiving. God is holy. God is sovereign. God is infinite, he is, has always been, and will forever be. God is omniscient. God is merciful. God is gracious, giving to us when we don't deserve it. God is omnipresent and omnipotent.

NOTE:  Priscilla Scheier, "Who's Your Daddy" (Book)

3.  How are your feelings for your heavenly Father and your earthly Father alike?  How do they differ?  It took me a long time to see the similarities in my earthly father and my heavenly father, because it took me a long time to really grasp God - who he is, what he is, how he plays a role in my life.  But now I understand!  My fathers both love me unconditionally, they want the best for me - even when I think I know better than they do :) They both step in to help me when I ask for it and sometimes even when I don't, they show me grace and mercy, but discipline me in love.  They both comfort me and are protective over me.

My feelings for them are the same in that I love them, I want to please them, I value their opinions (but don't always follow them) and want them to be proud of me and my decisions.  My relationships differ in that, even now, I find myself much more willing to listen to my earthly father, because I can see him, touch him, hear him.  But I know that God can heal me and complete me in areas that I still have "holes" in my soul, and only he can do that.  I trust that he has a plan for me and I know that he works all things for His good.  I trust his process.

NOTE:  My heavenly father will never leave me or disappoint me, but my earthy father is human and is driven by his flesh.  When I was 13, he divorced my mom and then left me to live with her and my sister.  Then he met my stepmother and married her, and she was so insecure that he agreed to walk away from his children in order to make her feel safe.  We didn't hear from him - by telephone or for his court-ordered visitation - for months.  I was devastated.  I was daddy's girl, I worshiped him, and he ditched me, for HER.  God would never do that.  [He came back about 5 or 6 months later and apologized, and we have a GREAT relationship today, but that pain never disappears from memory].

4.  How can your relationship with your Higher Power, Jesus Christ, help you step out of your denial and face reality?  By removing the fear of being imperfect and making it safe for me to be honest and transparent about my hurts, hang-ups, and habits.  God's unconditional love opens my heart for learning about changes I need to make and how to make them.

5.  In what areas of your life are you now ready to let God help you?  So many!  Marriage, food issues, finances, relationships, my busyness, and my need to control are just a few!

6.  What things are you ready to change in your life?  Where can you get the power to change them?  Those things listed in 5 above, but also my negative self-talk, and negative self-image.  I can get the power to change those things by having the discipline to spend daily quiet time with God and growing a deeper, more intimate relationship with him.  I want his to remove the scales from my eyes so that I can see clearly the areas I need to change, and to help me focus on joy.