Broken Hope
When I heard the two words "Broken Hope" recently it resonated with my heart. I am a naturally optimistic person and being a believer in Jesus Christ has always given me hope, even in the dark places. The last two years have been very difficult as I walked my momma through her cancer journey and held her hand as she went on to be with Jesus on January 26th. The grief has felt overwhelming and my hope has slowly been broken. Once again my normal was hijacked by cancer. Everything in my life has changed and I am still feeling the aftershocks of my momma's absence. There are days I feel like I can't even get out of bed.
Have you ever had a season where you can't feel hope because you are drowning in stress, grief, or hardships? Navigating this season has given me an opportunity to make a choice each day. I can either choose to watch my hope break into pieces or I can choose to grab my Bible and allow God to put my hope back together again. And if I am honest, the last 6 months I have chosen to drown in my grief more times than depending on the Lord. Can you relate?
The Lord has brought amazing women in my life that have prayed with me and given me the strength to get out of bed and choose to trust in the Lord. I have a million questions for God when it comes to my mom's sickness and death but recently I have chosen to allow God to help me through it. It's too exhausting trying to figure it out on my own.
At the end of the day, I have to decide if I trust in God's will or not. This is a tension that has caused my hope to slowly diminish. I am still currently waking up each morning and making that choice, honestly, sometimes it's every hour. I am in the thick of grief and sadness and if you are too then I hope you feel encouraged that you are not alone. This choice isn't easy because you are fighting emotions that are strong and overbearing. Would you join me in this fight?
My beautiful mentors that have prayed with me, Katie Hauck and Alli Becker, and I are coming together for a 3-week prayer series on HOPE and I want you to join us!
Mark your calendars for August, 14th, 21st, and 28th at 8 pm Eastern. I will be sending out more information soon! Make sure to follow me on Instagram and Beautifully Designed Ministries on Facebook so you don't miss out.
Let's lock arms together and allow God to pick up our pieces and make something beautiful out of our ashes!!!
Much Love,
Ashley B Shepherd