Hope - The Sneaky Addiction//The Holding Pattern of Hope

Im not sure if addiction is the right word.  The Sneaky.... deterrent?  The Sneaky.... Sense of False Security.

Now please dont misinterpret me.  Im ALL FOR HOPE.  Pretty much always.  Hope is a thing to be treasured.

"May the God of Hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." - Romans 15:13

However, Hope can lure us into a cycle of a false sense of security.

Let me paint a picture for you.

If you dont know already, I was diagnosed infertile.  Even before that diagnosis, I deeply desired to be a mother.  I have peed on many, MANY sticks in my lifetime hoping for a big fat positive.

So imagine me, sitting in the bathroom, staring at an unused pregnancy test and a cup of FMU (first morning urine for those unfamiliar with TTC...trying to conceive...acronyms).

You would think that after so much waiting and anticipation that I would have no hesitation dipping that stick and finding out whether or not my hopes, dreams, and desires will be fulfilled.

But in that moment there is hesitation.

A Pause.

A holding of breath.

Because in that moment SO MANY POSSIBILITIES are held.

It could go any which way.

I could be elated.

OR

I could be devastated.

My taking ACTION COULD lead to utter destruction of my hopes.

And so I dont take action.

Id rather sit there in my fantasy of how wonderful it COULD be.

Id rather sit there in my false sense of security.

Because in that moment, I have control.

Or at least a false sense of it.

And there is where Hope can mislead us.

This is where HOPE can hinder us to take action.

​And this is where FAITH comes into play.

"Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see." - Hebrews 11:1

But FAITH without WORKS is dead.

James 2:14-26
King James Version14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?
15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?
17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?
23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.
24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
25 Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?
26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

Beloved,

​Is there an area in your life where you are hindered with hope?  Is there somewhere you would rather sit in fantasy because it feels safe?

"One cannot have hope without faith. ... When people have hope they have faith, because they hold a belief that says “I believe that the future will be better.” And while they have no grounds to “prove” the hopeful assumption, they have faith in it. While faith without hope is possible, hope without faith is not."

One cannot have hope without faith, but faith without works is dead.

Ask yourself this:  Am I holding back from my works?  Am I trapped in a cycle of self-sabotage by not taking steps?  Am I allowing the enemy to feed me voices of doubt, even if just enough to keep me in a holding pattern of hope?


When I would sit there, frozen, not taking action to pee on that stick, I was clinging to a false sense of control and security, but just beneath the surface - right below the veil - I was truly just as miserable in my NOT knowing, than knowing an outcome that wasnt favorable.  Because in knowing I would be able to then take the next step.  I would then be able to do the next. right. thing.