Finding Renewed Faith and Hope

"God does not have a magic wand." Anne Lamott (My Son, the Stranger)

Anne Lamott wrote the above quote in a story about dealing with a fight she had with her son. She had a problem and wanted it fixed. She asked for God's help and forgiveness and realized, "these things take time."

Things do take time.

I am still searching for myself. I've asked for God's help. I've asked for Him to show me the way. Who knows, it may take longer than I expect to find myself, to figure things out, to discover my destiny and the legacy I'll leave.

I do have Faith. I also know, my Faith was not very strong. It's gotten stronger. That is: faith that God is showing the way. Faith that if I keep doing what I'm doing and I continue to remind myself of the path I know I should be on, everything will be exactly what I am working for it to be.

I don't 'hope' my life will be a certain way. I know it will. Hope can only take me so far, working to create the life I want takes work and... takes time. There's no magic wand here.

How many times have you heard you need to 'take action'. We hear it but we don't do it. If you have faith, but don't take action to achieve a goal then faith does nothing for you. God wants you to ask for help, but when you do, you also have to work with Him as He works with you.

If you don't take action, everything remains the same. If nothing changes, you're still in the dark.

"Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: you don't give up." Anne Lamott

You could say I've been 'in the dark'. Living with blind hope. No guidance, no real support, no faith. I see just a little bit better now.

Guess what... the dawn is showing up. I have waited (and still am). I am watching (every day). And I haven't given up - till the day I die! If you give up, you may never know what could have been.

"Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up." Thomas Edison

It is very important to find your higher power. If it is spirituality, religion, or any other belief, go to your higher power. This higher power helps you stay focused, calms you, and reassures you that there will be rewards if you continue the faith.