Write Integrity Press: When Life Grows Difficult

Please help me welcome today's special guest, Jennifer Fromke.

Polyanna played the “glad game.” She would try to name things she could be glad about. I’m glad I’m not hungry. I’m glad the sun is shining today. Near the end, she gets to a place where it’s very difficult for her to play the game, because life has grown difficult.

How many people do you know who have reached that place in life? Physical pain, loss of a loved one, loss of a job, emotional turmoil, loss of trust, loss of respect, financial uncertainty, worry, stress, not to mention relationship trouble and that five pounds you can’t seem to lose? This world is like a boat tossed on a dark and stormy ocean, with no navigation system and the engine has failed. Waves crash over the deck every so often, making it slippery and unstable. If you’ve never heard about what’s waiting for us after the storm, you might find yourself lacking something big that sounds very simple. Hope.

I spoke with a friend today who looked at me with a lightbulb-moment expression on her face and said, “This conversation makes me want to get out there and work really hard to make this dream happen. I have such hope!”

I wondered what we said that gave her that hope. We talked about possible outcomes for the business she is just birthing now. We talked about goals that would launch the product into the world and provide work for local people who desperately need a job, as well as creating a legacy for her children. As each possibility crossed our lips, her eyes lit up with expectancy.

And that’s the key. What do you expect in the future? What do you think is waiting at the end of this dark and stormy wind-tossed night? Is life a big storm with no end in sight? Can we ever know for sure?

Yes, we can. I’ve studied the book of Revelation quite a bit over the years and there are some things certain. Jesus is coming back to earth. Men will be judged. Evil will be destroyed forever. God will make a NEW heaven and a NEW earth. Everyone who belongs to God will reign with Him forever sans evil. Everyone gets a chance to choose this outcome. To live forever with no evil. Only good . . . forever.

And let’s be clear about these things . . . if you believe in Scripture, then these things are guaranteed. You don’t have to wonder if they will come to pass or wish they will happen. You can count on them to happen. It’s like the anchor that holds a boat steady, keeping it safe throughout the storm. When the sun rises on a smooth watery plain, the light will reflect off the surface in beautiful shining rays and the harbor toward which the boat is headed comes into view. And what kept the boat safe during all the turmoil . . . the anchor . . . is what God gives us every day: Hope.

Do you go through life holding onto wishes that blow away like dandelion fluff? Or do you hold to something stronger, something immovable like . . . Hope?

A Familiar Shore is a story about a girl who finds herself tossed and torn in several directions. She has a dog named Anchor. I hope you’ll read the book and tell me what you think. You can find me online: www.jenniferfromke.com or www.facebook.com/jenniferfromke.

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