Right on Time

"We rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." - Romans 5:3-5

I have been clinging to these verses and others like them for months now.  Any verse with the word hope in it has been close to my heart and forefront in my mind.  I'll go ahead and tell you right now that though verses of hope and confidence in God were constantly playing in my head, my heart and life did not always follow.  I have been discouraged, disappointed, despairing and downright depressed along the way.  But somewhere in the recesses of my mind, I knew that hope would not disappoint...

I have learned (and re-learned!) a lot of lessons over the last eighteen months as I have searched for a job.  I am still processing it all and promise to share more as I do.  Suffice it to say for now that I find myself humbled and hopeful once again.  My confidence in God's timing has been renewed and my trust in Him is stronger than ever.  After a lot of uncertainty and many tears, I find myself at the beginning of what looks to be a wonderful new job and journey.  I am excited...and so is Jason!  More on everything as it unfolds!

Let me leave you with the beautiful Message translation of the above passage for your benefit (italics mine):

"By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us—set us right with him, make us fit for him—we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. And that's not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand—out in the wide open spaces of God's grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise. There's more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we're hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we're never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can't round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!  Christ arrives right on time to make this happen." - Romans 5:1-5