
By Breanna Echols




Today was one of those tumultuous days. The kids are asleep, and I can finally process my thoughts, and unpack my tired mind. There’s so much I don’t understand. I’ve experienced faith in so many different ways.
I LIVED it... I had a whole year where every prayer I prayed got answered, in the best possible ways. I knew how to hope and have faith on so many different levels, and yet again, here I stand at the beginning. Feeling like I’ve learned nothing. Completely clueless.
But in all my questioning I’m reminded again, (because apparently, I’m incredibly forgetful) faith isn’t a formula. It isn’t even a fact. Faith, is about focus, and it’s constantly changing unless your focus is on One that never changes.
The word says that hope is an anchor for the soul, but I’ve questioned that, because hope can be a rollercoaster ride. Inspired and excited, followed by discouraged and heart sick, and so the cycle continues until suddenly, you begin see what you’ve been praying for.
But what if that’s not true hope? What good is hope if it doesn’t bring peace? If it’s a constant tug of war between anxious excitement and depression? Is it really an anchor for the soul? Because that seems that it would be quite unstable. I’m currently pondering the connection between hope, trust, and timing.
The #1 cause in hope being lost, is doubt, which comes from delay (timing).
“How long until I see the thing I’m hoping for?”
As the battle drags on, you feel more and more exhausted. And hope becomes heavy. When we set our hope on a timeline, we are more likely to be discouraged. Because, as the word says, hope delayed makes the heart sick.
So, hope, true hope, must be set on trust. Not timing. Like a game of “trust fall”, where you fall back, and a friend catches you. If you yell “TRUST “and fall backward, they know you’re expecting (and hoping) they’ll catch you, because they care about you, it activates them to get in position.
TRUST ACTIVATES TIMING. When you can keep your hope set inside your trust, and your trust is in the One who loves you beyond comprehension, the timing doesn’t matter as much.
It doesn’t matter “when” you’re caught, as long as you’re caught. He will catch you. So, Trust!

