Love you 'til the end...

Love puts up with anything, trust always, always looks for the best, never looks back and keeps going to the end. I'm so thankful for this kind of love. To think that Jesus puts up with anything, no matter what we do, or who we are on any particular day...He sees the best in us. He never gives up on us, he stays with us through it all...'til the end. I want to love like that. I think the way to learn to love like this is to start accepting this love from Jesus. That's a start for sure. I mean, really accept this love in the very deepest part of my heart. Today...when you look in the mirror, believe that God is with you, seeing the best and will never look back - He is with you to the end.

Are your relationships making you stronger?

It's important to have your close friendships be with people that see your greatness. Friends see your greatness and celebrate with you rather than break you down. Someone can be "with" you without being "for" you. Listen carefully to what your heart says after you spend time with those you are in relationships with both personal and professional. Do you feel stronger? Happier, more confident, loved, seen, valued, understood, celebrated, encouraged? Do you feel built up or like you have been beaten down?

We all have a God given destiny. Do those you chose to surround yourself with encourage you towards your God given destiny? Do they see your value and celebrate your gifts? Do your relationships encourage your journey towards God? A friend celebrates with you and encourages you towards your God given destiny.

Friends don't manipulate you to be what they want you to be. A true friend isn't a crutch by enabling dis functional patterns and behaviors. A friend loves at all times and speaks the TRUTH in LOVE. We can disagree and still love. We can be honest and still have the other person's best interest in mind. I'm not just talking about positive or negative energy. We all have good days and we all have bad days. I'm talking about the true core of the relationship. What is the relationship's authenticity? What is the relationship's truth? These questions aren't hard to answer - we know the answer - we know how we feel, we know what is happening in our hearts, in our mind, in our soul. The hard part is deciding what we are going to do about it. We can't change anyone but our self.

Be encouraged...God has designed people to come into your life to bring hope and purpose back into your dreams. Never forget how much you are loved by God. As far as the heavens are above that is how great God's Love is for you. Maybe you need to spend more time with people that want to celebrate your God given greatness with you. Maybe it's time for you to see and celebrate your greatness. Don't give up on your goals or dreams. You might say "Sue I don't have a dream, I don't have any goals." If you change who and what you are listening to you might find a inner hope that believes the plans and dreams that God has for you. Don't waste another moment opening your ears and heart to the wrong message. Seek with your whole heart for the truth. There is a promise from God that says "When you seek me with your whole heart you will find me."

"A life shaping certainty that hasn't happened yet...Hope"

Hope, my favorite word in the English language and my favorite word in the Spanish language...Esperanza! We are hope based beings. How we live now is determined by what we believe and whether or not we have a hope for our future. If we believe there is a hope for healing, we continue to seek and strive for health. A healthy body, mind heart and soul. Hope helps us believe that our marriage can get better, that our children are going to be OK, that we can get in shape, that we can learn self-control, that we can change our habits, that we can make healthier food choices, that we can break this addiction, that we can overcome our fears, that our broken heart will mend. Hope gives us something to live for, it puts purpose into our life, it puts us on the road to health.

Hope is more then a "warm fuzzy" feeling. Hope is real and powerful when we put our Hope in God. Hope enlightens the eyes of our heart to see God. When we realize our value to God, when we see how much we are loved by God - this secures our future in something bigger then our present trials or victories. This secured Hope is as eternal as God Himself. With this Hope and assurance nothing can separate us from the Love of God. NOTHING! Not even the craziness, dysfunction, disappointments, heartaches, sickness this life may bring our way will separate us from God's Love. Not even death can separate us from His Love. God demonstrated this to us when He himself became death - He who knew no death, no pain, no mistake, no sin...He became all of that to prove His resurrection power which is the HOPE we have. I'm tired of living with the mentality that "this is as good as it gets." It's not true...there is more..this is not as good as it gets...it gets BETTER! We aren't stuck, things are going to change. Believe in the resurrecting power of Jesus and let the Hope of God put purpose into your life. Let this Hope put power into your intentions. If you are tired of the way things are, if you want to believe that things will get better, if you want to change your life...connect your present situation to the future Hope we have in God.

Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to proper you not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future."

That is why Hope is my favorite word...it's a promise that will not leave us disappointed. Hope is more than a word...Hope is a catalyst that brings change, health, purpose and Love into our life.