Life is tough. Life is hard. Life is full of setbacks, letdowns, and disappointments.
But when your hope is in the Lord, nothing is impossible! So be encouraged with our 5 favorite bible verses on HOPE!
“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'” Jeremiah 29:11
“I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope.” Psalm 130:5
“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:31
“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” Hebrews 10:23
“You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word.” Psalm 119:114
What scripture brings you the most hope? Comment below with your answer!
At one point or another, every child can be frustrating, difficult, or exhausting. And instead of showing love, we become selfish and impatient.
But the truth is that our children are not our own; they are a sacred trust from the Lord. They were given to us as a GIFT to enjoy and care for.
So how do we do this? Here are 3 ways to enjoy your kids as the gifts they are.
- Stop Rushing. Life is moving at a million miles per hour. But in order to enjoy the children God has blessed us with, we must stop rushing and focus on them!
- Stop Aiming for Perfection. It’s time to let go of our unrealistic expectations and realize that each child is unique. So celebrate their imperfections and help them grow in their weaknesses.
- Start Enjoying. Finally, we want to encourage you to simply make time for your kids. Plan a dinner out or a movie night at home…whatever it is, be sure to enjoy your children for the gift they are!
How can you spend time enjoying your kids this weekend? Share your idea in a comment below!
So many things are fighting to define us.
Some can be good things: our career, our family, our hobbies. Others can be not-so-good things: our flaws, our past, our material goods.
But there is only one thing that truly, truly defines us. And that is our relationship with God.
Every thing, every person, and every situation we experience in life has some level of brokenness. Nothing and no one is perfect.
But God is! And He can be trusted to give us a genuine sense of self-worth. He can be trusted to make us feel loved, valued, and worthy.
What is keeping you from beginning a relationship with the Lord? We’d love for you to share your heart by commenting below.
We all want to make a difference.
We all want to change the world, leave a legacy, and improve the lives around us.
But when we can’t fix everything, we often end up so discouraged that we fix nothing. We give up way too quickly and give in too easily.
Galatians 6:9 encourages by saying, “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”
Results are not always immediate or visible. But when we are working to glorify God, we are sure to reap a harvest! As Coach Dungy says, it may “be as simple and profound as changing one life…”
Where do you feel God leading you to change lives? Share your thoughts in a comment below!
There’s power in forgiveness.
There’s power in the ability to feel the fault of others and look past it.
There’s power in feeling pain, experiencing hurt, or hearing harsh words, and being able to offer forgiveness.
Why? Because God forgives us each and every day. Often it’s multiple times a day! So when we offer forgiveness to others, we are giving the world a taste of God’s radical forgiveness for us.
Ephesians 4:32 says, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ, God forgave you.” Here, God is instructing us to be kind, to be compassionate, and most of all, to be forgiving.
Who do you need to forgive in your life today? We encourage you to spend some time praying though the situation and asking God to help you forgive that specific person.
Let’s be real: defeat is tough.
No one likes losing. No one likes working hard without results. No one likes preparing for a win only to receive a defeat.
But Coach Dungy wants to let you in on a little secret: “We can win championships even after losing some games.”
It’s easy for a defeat to leave a sour taste in your mouth. But we can’t let one loss lead to other losses!
Each day is a chance for us to start fresh; to leave the past in the past. Yesterday is over. But today is a brand new day to work towards a win. So stop moping and start looking forward with hope and determination!
For most of us, we relate to God in two ways.
We praise him when things are going right and we make requests when things are going wrong.
But in 1 Peter 1:6-7, we’re encouraged to act otherwise:
“In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”
Instead of saving our praise for when everything is going well, we’re called to “greatly rejoice” no matter what life is throwing our way.
So this week, we want to encourage you to praise God through the disappointments of life! Rejoice in your sufferings because they only give you a deeper understanding of how Christ suffered for you.
The world is full of things and people vying for our attention.
From bosses to businesses, sports to cell phones, money to movies, the list goes on and on. And all too easily, they gain our attention. We become too focused on pleasing our boss or getting the latest phone or following our favorite sports team’s every move.
So where’s the harm in enjoying these worldly things?
Well, when we keep our eyes on the things of this world, we aren’t able to keep our eyes on what truly matters. And what truly matters is our faith and our family.
Joshua 24:15 says, “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
You have a choice. “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve.” So what will it be? Success? Money? Fame? Well from all our folks here at the Dungy Family Foundation, we encourage you to serve the Lord!
It’s all too easy to feel like our difficult situations will last forever.
Over time, we become more and more convinced that things will never get better. But today, we want to encourage you with this passage from Ecclesiastes! In the first few verses of chapter three, we’re told that life is full of seasons. Some seasons are great, while others are incredibly difficult.
So spend a few minutes reading through these verses and remember that God is in control and that this, too, will pass.
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.” Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
We’re all facing struggles.
We could talk on and on about our awful finances, our struggling marriage, or our shallow relationships with our kids.
But what if we looked at things in a new way?
Instead of asking why God is allowing us to face these struggles, what if we asked how these struggles can most glorify Him? 1 Peter 4:12-13 encourages us with this simple message:
“Friends, when life gets really difficult, don’t jump to the conclusion that God isn’t on the job. Instead, be glad that you are in the very thick of what Christ experienced. This is a spiritual refining process, with glory just around the corner.”
Maybe your awful finances is a chance for you to start over–to change your financial lifestyle and be an example to others of giving to God first.
Maybe your struggling marriage is a chance for you and your spouse to pursue counseling. And maybe this counseling could strengthen your marriage so that you’re one day able to encourage others to have a Christ-centered relationship.
And maybe your shallow relationship with your kids is a chance for you to reevaluate your priorities in life. Maybe it means spending less time at work or on the phone and more time with your kids.
So be encouraged to stop focusing on the downside of your struggles and start thinking through how your struggles can lead you to better glorify God!
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