I Choose Joy - Jill Janus
I Choose Joy
- Jill Janus
Turning Hope into Faith
You often hear people say things like “Don’t lose hope” or “Have faith”. I’ve come to know that those two phrases are an integral part of our walk as Christians. God places hopes and dreams inside of us for a reason and it is our job to have the courage to believe that He will bring them to fruition, and that is when faith kicks in.
“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, Therefore I have hope in Him.” Lamentations 3:24
I was living a life full of guilt and shame, with my head down and thinking that I was disqualified in God’s eyes because of some of the choices I had made in the past. I knew those choices were not honoring to God and I felt alone and empty inside. I allowed the enemy’s voice to be louder than the truth of God’s Word and he tried to stifle me in many ways.
“The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy.” John 10:10
For years, I tried to tuck God away and put Him in a corner because I was allowing my failures to define me. It was hard to get close to God. I created a barrier between us. But God is so good; He wouldn’t let me walk too far away. He saw my heart and He knew that I loved Him. Every time I tried to turn my head in the opposite direction of Him, He would tap me on the shoulder. It was such a peaceful and loving check in my spirit, I couldn’t ignore it. This was His gentle way of saying, I am here, and there is nothing you can do that will change that.
“… I will never leave or forsake you.” Joshua 1:5
Hope’s definition is to cherish a desire with anticipation (Merriam-Webster), meaning to have an optimistic attitude about something. Faith is defined as a firm belief in something for which there is no proof (Merriam-Webster), knowing that whatever you are believing in, is true or will happen. How do you get from a point of having hope to choosing faith?
Proverbs 13:12 says “Hope deferred makes the heart sick…”
There was a season in my life where I felt heartsick and I had lost hope. I had desires in my heart that I was awaiting and because they were (and still are) deferred or put off, I was heartsick.
I lost hope in myself.
I lost hope in my abilities to navigate through life with confidence.
I lost hope in people.
I lost hope in the world.
But…
I never lost hope in God. And for this, I am so thankful. I hung on to God and His truths by a thread and it was all I needed. It was enough!
His loving reminders were so real that I could not overlook them. As much as I tried to dismiss them, they comforted me, and they brought me back to what I knew was true; and that was God’s Word. Scriptures that I had memorized years prior, would come to the forefront of my thoughts. Scriptures like “Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” and “Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and sustain me with a willing spirit.”. And if you know me well…you know that I can barely remember what I had for dinner last night. I knew that it was God speaking to me and wanting me to realize that His mercy and grace were there for the taking, and all I had to do was let go of the junk I was holding onto, and free up my hands to grab a hold of His promises…knowing that “In His presence is fullness of joy”!
This was how I was able to hang on to HOPE…God’s hope!
The Bible refers to hope as a confident expectation of what God has promised. It’s a holy expectation of a surety.
My heart’s desire has always been to be a wife and a mom. I am 39 years old. I have a wonderful career as a middle school teacher. I love what I do, and I am so grateful God has entrusted me to guide and teach the next generation. I do not take that lightly. I am stable in all ways. I am healthy and active. I love the Lord with all my heart. I am a loyal friend and that’s important to me. My friends are incredible, and my family is amazing.
It’s time!
It’s time for me to move on to my next season of life and build a family. RIGHT?
When people say to me, “I don’t know how you do it… you are single and choose joy.” Or things like “I couldn’t do what you are doing.” and “You’ve been single for a long time and you can still brighten up a room with your smile.”
I have always responded with, “I have HOPE.”
Which is true. I have had just enough of God in me, through those heartsick years that allowed me to not lose hope. I hung on!
“And now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in You. Psalm 39:7
I have recently transformed my mindset. I no longer respond with, “I have hope”. I respond with “I have FAITH”.
God wants us to have hope, He tells us that. Hope is powerful. The word hope shows up in the Bible about 130 times. It has purpose!
But…It’s time I shift my HOPE into FAITH.
“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1
Faith is how we receive the benefits of what Jesus has done for us and relying completely on God.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.” Ephesians 2:8
I am thankful for that heartsick season in my life. It has allowed me to have a more intimate relationship with God and put my trust in Him. I have had to choose joy when I did not feel like I could. There has been great purpose in my waiting season and God has truly done a work in my heart. I believe this would not have happened, if I didn’t have this time. It has taken my hope and turned it into faith and allowed me to have joy because I have spent more time in His presence.
Hope is an optimistic dream that it might happen. Faith is knowing that it will.
Do I know when that day will come when God will answer my prayers? No.
Do I believe it will happen? Yes!
That is exactly what faith is, wholeheartedly believing in God and the things that are unseen.
“for we walk by faith, not by sight-” 2 Cor 5:7
I am choosing FAITH!