Brave Enough to Be BrokenSample

Be a Woman of Hope

We’ve all had that friend, read that story, or watched that video when a woman with a life-threatening disease, a woman who lost a family member, or a woman who has experienced abuse is still able to put her faith in Jesus, be joyful, and use her pain to help others. And when we see it, we admire it. Something about it changes us. Those are the people who know there’s hope in a sovereign God who is close and gives us hope when all seems lost.

“I will lift up my eyes to the hills—From whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.” - Psalm 121:1-2 (NKJV)

How can we become women of hope?

Paul offers us an example of hope with the story of Sarah in Hebrews 11.

“And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered Him faithful who had made the promise. And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.” - Hebrews 11:11-12 (NIV)

You don’t have to imagine Sarah’s shock when she learned that she and Abraham were going to be parents in their old age. The Bible says Sarah laughed! Yes, she did struggle with God’s promise but, ultimately, her faith endeared. And, because of her faithfulness, millions have been blessed.

Sarah’s story teaches us an important lesson. God does what He says He’s going to do–even when it doesn’t look like what we planned! His plans almost always end up better than we can think or imagine. He is faithful beyond our limited imaginations. It's safe to hope in Him.

Think about this: So, what does a hope-filled life look like? You can expect it to be hard in some moments. I’m not here to sell you falsehoods. But when hard times come, you can also expect to handle them through a lens of hope. Pray, worship, read the Bible, and seek counsel. All these things will help you grow your hope.