Is a Tidbit of Hope Enough?

Hope Snippet by @Deenamadams

Discouragement. We all deal with it from time to time, don’t we?

One day we’re standing on top of the mountain with plans to take on the world. And the next, we’re wondering why we ever believed we had the ability to achieve anything.

Is it just me or do you experience this too? 

When I was young and naïve, I thought I could do anything if I set my mind to it. I never understood the verse in the Bible that says, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” John 15:5

How could that be true when I did lots of tasks on my own? And was even decent at a few of them.

As I grew older—and wiser—I realized what God meant.

Yes, I can accomplish many tasks in my own strength, but I can’t make an eternal impact apart from the presence and power of God in my life. And neither can you.

Since I started the journey toward publication two years ago, I’ve had days where I questioned my sanity.

I’ve asked God multiple times to confirm if I should continue down this path. Each time, He’s been faithful to provide the requested confirmation nudge to keep traveling this winding road.

I’ve experienced moments of sheer euphoria where God blessed me with a contest win, interest in my manuscript, or words of encouragement from a fellow writer to offer me a tidbit of hope.

This happened recently when I was struggling with my calling as a writer…again.

I felt as if I’d been spinning my wheels on both my books and replayed the doubt reel. “I’m not talented enough to do this. My stories aren’t good enough. They’re boring. No one will read them.” And on and on the negative self-talk went.

But God. Don’t you love that phrase, “But God?” 

At the precise moment I needed confirmation to keep writing, a writer friend I’ve connected with through a large online critique group messaged me out of the blue and asked how my writing was going.

I remarked that I was still editing both manuscripts, trying to figure out where to take the stories. She commented about how she enjoyed the chapters of my second novel she critiqued, saying the characters made such an impact on her that, these many months later, she remembered them and loved the storyline.

This was the story I had nearly trashed because I considered it no good.

That same week, another critique friend mentioned her enjoyment of the new beginning chapter I had written for my first book and, although it had been at least a year since she’d read it, it stayed with her because it was so impactful.

I took these tidbits of hope and stored them in my heart, allowing them to become the fuel to spark the fire in me to continue writing.

What about you? Maybe you’re not a writer. But I daresay you have dreams in your soul that might need stoked right now.

It’s been a tough year. Maybe Covid, the lockdowns, chaos, and even personal struggles have derailed you and your plans to pursue that passion God has placed inside you.

My objective today is to nudge you to keep going. To extend a tidbit of hope, and encourage you to run with it like crazy.

Don’t give up! But be sure you’re keeping God at the center if you desire to truly make a difference. Because without Him, we can do nothing of any value.

Join the conversation. Do you have a dream God has put on your heart? Do you ever get discouraged on your journey toward fulfilling that goal? How has God offered a tidbit of hope along the way?

Check out this post for encouragement to take a risk to follow your dreams.