I used to make my family very nervous. (Let’s be honest, I probably still do.)
I’d walk in the room and declare, “I’m going to win the Publisher’s Clearinghouse Sweepstakes!” Then for about two weeks I’d carry on and speak as if it were already a done deal.
It never was a done deal. I never won. But for a few weeks, I’d get to live in the hope of possibility.
Now just to be clear, I didn’t go out and buy a Mercedes because I was pretty certain I’d win. That would be foolish.
You want to know what’s not foolish?
Hope paired with action.
I hope I will write a best-selling book someday. I’ve written five books and (so far) none of them have made the New York Times list. (Borrow My Brave comes out on Amazon in just a few days!)
But it’s the hope of it happening someday that keeps me writing. Well, that and I also want to help people through my words.
It’s the hope that I’ll be young enough to take my grandkids to Disney World someday that keeps me playing pickleball and doing yoga.
It was the hope of having a national radio show that led me to pursuing a podcast. (By the way, season five of The Kindness Podcast will be released on itunes/google/spotify this month! Guests include Danny Gokey and Max Lucado.)
We see tons of examples in the Bible of people who hoped God would help them, but in most cases, they needed to get their feet wet before the water actually parted.
What are you hoping for? A stronger marriage? A better job? A healthier lifestyle? God has a plan for your life. A good plan. Step into it by taking one small step in the right direction.
Smile warmly at your spouse.
Get your resume together.
Leave the grocery store without buying the Fruity Pebbles.
God’s plan for us may not include winning the Publisher’s Clearinghouse Sweepstakes, but if what we hope for lines up with what He wants to give us, then I believe He’s just waiting for a sign from us that we’re ready.
Do you hope for something special in your life? Despite what my family may sometimes think when Mom gets a crazy idea in her head, it’s not scary. It’s spectacular. Go ahead and pair that hope with action. Take the leap or even the first small step and watch what God can make happen.
