More than a Word

Patience is having hope that the faith you profess will be evident in God's time and not your own.

When I think of hope, faith, trust and love, they may just be words to some, but to me they define my existence and my being.

Hope is being a dreamer whose eyes are as wide as one's faith in God. Hope holds our hand in the midst of the loneliest time, it inspires in a room of critics, and it keeps one foot in front of the other when I don't know where I'm going.

Faith is strength in a deep rooted belief that what you may not see does in fact travel like a gentle wind all around. Faith is what keeps you waking up, what keeps you from fear in closing your eyes, it brings purpose to our days and meaning to our moments. Whether one has faith or not, their life is still a reflection of that mindset--life happens and moves by that which one allows to move them.

Trust is standing in a world of darkness and sin and knowing that there is nothing in this world that can take from you what God has given through grace. It is being confident that God promises that you will not endure what you can not handle. You have the resources, the strength, the courage to conquer and persevere.

Love is the greatest gift of all--a word that has become equivalent to red hearts and vases of flowers, but true love is freedom. True love inspires, exalts, produces confidence and does not require anything in return.

Our lives are a series of years, days, moments of joys and sorrows, happiness and struggles. You see photo albums that define your presence but what defines your existence?
Beyond the scenery, looking past the faces, who are you in this moment?
God has purpose for your patience. We are all waiting for His return, but there is reason for today. He could bring His kingdom down to earth at any time, but He chooses to wait. Your existence here on earth matters.
We are not creatures of waiting, we are a creation with purpose.
We put our hope in a God who holds our tomorrows and gives His children enough love and faith to pursue His purpose and plan for us. A Journey has a beginning and an end but it is defined by all that is in between. The story happens between the pages. Your character is not defined, it is cultivated and allowed to grow in order to leave a lasting legacy. Your legacy defines your existence.

Though we may be patient, we live our lives out in confidence that the faith we profess, the hope we hold on to, is trusted in hands that are the ultimate reflection of what defines love.