Misplaced Hope
Pinning Our Hopes & Dreams on the Wrong Thing
By Andrea Y. Hughes, Editor of Selectedly Single Newsletter

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Connecting to the Church in Africa through Catholic Relief Services Maintaining Our Joy Throughout Broken Hopes & Shattered Dreams Reality Check 13 and 14 Year-Old Children Should Not Be Condemned To Adult Prisons With No Opportunity For Parole Or Release Loving, Valuing, Understanding and Changing the Youth We are Loosing to Gangs God's Personal Financial Stimulous Package The Mary Elizabeth Lange Center Discerning a Call to Religious Life Interview with Reverend Christopher Lee Coleman, Ph.D. Shaping Up For Summer NLP Power Of Words ADDICTIONS Excerpts of "My Catholic Journey" by Arlene Edmonds We Are Our Brothers Keepers Called to Give/Be a Witness Rights Of Prisoners Burundi Families Find New Home, New Friends, New Peace Deepen Your Faith! Expand Your Horizons! Face the Facts: Topics to Discuss Now with Your Aging Parents God Bless the Child Who Has No Home Hilton Head Island's Native Islander Gullah Celebration Love & Marriage

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Have you been waiting for the right man or woman or time or job, amount of money or situation or state of life to come along before you believe you can be happy or feel you have arrived? Wondering how you are going to keep yourself, "hang in there," until your ship, Cinderella, or Prince Charming comes in to save you from all the hormones kicking up, down times, & bad days? Could it be that you have pinned your hopes on the wrong thing? Could it be that you are not supposed to be saved from but to go through this life in a different way. Maybe it is not "the pot at the end of the rainbow" at all. Maybe it's the journey along the way that's really it, keeping our eyes and senses open while traveling with other companions along an adventure, not quite what we wanted, but which has gifts bestowed greater than our misplaced hope in: "just the right job", amount of money, marriage partner, or right place. Ask anyone who finally got "the Job'", "the money", "the wife" or "the husband", and they will tell you along with it came more stresses and strains, problems.

So where should our "hope" be and what is this long time of going through about? Well the apostle Peter who was like the other apostles, pinning his hopes on finally being a "big fish" in the Israeli community, even a bigger king pin then the Scribes and the Pharisees, since he was the close buddy of the Messiah, gives us some inside information in Peter's first letter (I Peter) to the church (us too). Peter tells us in I Peter chapter1:3 that our hope should be different than maybe what it is. Our hope should be "lively", (Have you ever noticed how dreary many Christians look?) not fixed on dead end, corruptible things. Our hope, he says, should be in a new life in Jesus that never can perish (be wiped out by national disasters like Katrina, market crashes, etc.) or spoil (like a marriage gone bad because of an unfaithful or lying spouse) or fade (like that new wardrobe or house or car). Our hope is to be put in God through an ongoing, adventurous relationship with Jesus, the real "rock" and way and truth, John 14:6. Moreover, this life is meant for us to go through with guaranteed trails. Darn, what a surprise for some of us "do right" Christians. Remember, "No cross, no crown?"

However, we are suppose to go through this life with its trials, greatly rejoicing, James 1:2-4. (Lord). The reasons are because: #1-we have born into this non perishing inheritance, #2 - because God values the growth of our faith - which He says is of "greater worth than gold,"v.3:7 and is "refining it" (glory) so that our faith will be genuine and result in praise, glory and honor (instead of shame) when Jesus is revealed! Alleluia! God is interested in our success! My God! He even gives us grace along with this gift of life, I Peter3:10, along with the testimony and encouraging words from the prophets like Isaiah, (Is. 40:15, 55:1-3,6-13, 30:15-18, Jeremiah, (Jer. 31:3-4) and Micah (Micah 6:8).

Therefore, look around and ahead for what else the Lord has for you besides "the pot at the end of the rainbow" dream. He says what He has is "more than we could ask or think of", Ephesians 3:20 and we don't have to wait for the perfect anything to get it. The real blessings come along the way. He says through the prophet Isaiah 30:15 that "It is in returning (to Him again and again) and resting (in Him) that you will be saved (from fretting, worrying, anxiety about false hopes, etc.); in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not." Also that those who wait on Him "shall renew their strength; mount up with wings as eagles; run and not grow weary, walk and not faint". Is. 40:31. He also says we would "be strong and do exploits" Daniel 11:32 and that singles would be well known as they honor His commands and choose the things that please Him, Is. 56:3-7 "better known than those who have sons and daughters" (for all of us who like a little notoriety). I could go on. He is faithful.

Join with other singles in pursuit of genuineness and purity in faith and life, who are participating in some of these great adventures. These singles, focused in the development of holiness, allow the world, by observing your good deeds and character, thus join in glorifying God when He returns, I Pet. 2:1-12.

See the www.relationships-sweet.com or www.abundantlylivingserv.com sites.