Today's reading

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. –Romans 12:12 NIV

July 17, 2020

Hope Doesn’t Come in Bottles

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. –Romans 12:12 NIV

It’s not the being patient part that’s the accomplishment when waiting for a prayer to be answered; instead, the real challenge is our attitude while we wait. It’s not the trials and tribulations of life that wear us down; instead, it’s the angst we carry while going through them. We can’t live a victorious life if we face every day expecting defeat.If we don’t choose our attitude for the day, the choice will be made for us. Everything we have, everything we’ve accomplished, and everyone we love can be taken from us. However, no one can steal our attitude of gratitude, our joy, or our hope. We are children of God bought with a high price—the blood of Jesus (see 1 Corinthians 6:20).While in a Nazi Concentration Camp, a man refused to be broken. He said his attitude and hope were the only things he had left that they couldn’t steal. Are our attitudes worth stealing? Hope doesn’t come in bottles; it comes in “cans.” We “can” do all things, for we “can” love, we “can” forgive, and we “can” choose a great life in spite of circumstances.

prayer focuses

Waiting for a prayer to be answered is one thing, but waiting in hope, nothing wavering, is the test.

Wait expectantly. When I get up in the morning, what’s my attitude for the day? Is it, “I can do all things,” or “I’ll try”? Be an “I can” child of God.

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about the

Author

Brenda Beattie

Brenda Beattie is a retired letter carrier and an active Chaplain for the USPS. She and her husband retired to Bradenton because they loved their church, Bayside Community Church. She has self-published two books, "Finding Sacred Ground In The Daily Grind," and "The Case Of The Missing Letter." She is also a repeat author for "Chicken Soup For The Soul." Her articles appear monthly in the "Mountaineer," a postal publication. Her hearts desire is to encourage and to give hope.