Hope

I was walking through the kitchen on my way to sit on the couch and grabbed a cookie out of the Kroger container I had bought earlier that day.  I had that great idea of getting something for dessert because “the kids would like it”.  I go sit down on the couch to enjoy my cookie while I look through the DVR for something good to watch while the kids are napping.  I haven’t even been sitting down for 60 seconds and that cookie is gone.  Still working on getting to my list of recorded shows, I interrupt that task at hand to get off the couch for another cookie.  After that cookie was carefully selected, I return to the primary task of watching a recorded show.  The show wasn’t even through telling what happened on the week before to catch the viewer up when I wanted another cookie.  I tried to put the thoughts of cookies in my head off to the side and tried to get into watching the show.  Let me just tell you, I had no idea what that show was about because I was dreaming of cookies.  They were practically calling… no screaming my name! Those cookies were so seductive and I kept going back for more.  After I had eaten so many the thought went through my head, “why not? I’ve already had 5 or 6, what is another cookie going to do”.  By the end of that hour long show that I was watching, there were two cookies left out of the dozen that were in the container.  The only reason I left two were because I had a child that I had already promised cookies to after dinner.  My poor husband didn’t get any.  I remember looking at those two cookies that were left and feeling hopelessly defeated.  At this point in time I was the woman that was creeping towards the 300 pound mark that would start a diet every single Monday and by lunch I was totally conquered and crushed by the temptations of food.  I was carrying the stress of a stay at home mother to 2 precious children under the age of two.  I was overwhelmed with life.  Something had to be sacrificed and it was me, my health, and my self esteem.  I was living for everyone else.  I had tons of weight loss goals and had never accomplished one.  I could not even walk to the mailbox without feeling out of breath.  Being out of breath was not my only problem; I got diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure by the age of 25. I will never forget the day my doctor told me that bad news. I remember feeling as if my stomach dropped like a rock to the floor.  I started feeling hot and sweaty.  A knot was in my throat and I kept trying to swallow it down and it would not budge.  I do remember summarizing what he was telling me in my head.  The bottom line was that death would fall upon me due to my weight.  My years were numbered if I stayed this way being unhealthy with a high weight.  It was a death sentence.  I may not see my children graduate high school or college.  I may not see them get married.  I may not meet my grandchildren.  My mind was flooded with all the memories that I would miss out on in this life. I felt hopeless. 

Do you feel hopeless? 

Christ gives us hope!  Psalm 119:116 says :

  "Uphold me according to your promise, that I may live, and let me not be put to shame in my hope!"

Psalm 119:81 says:
"My soul longs for your salvation; I hope in your word."

Galations 5:5 says:

"For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness"

Find hope in Christ!