Sergio doing his ballet moves
As we go into a new year, I am sure we all have hopes for a better 2021. Hope that this pandemic would be over, hopes that a vaccine would provide us with some protection, hopes that we might see our loved ones again and be able to hug them.
Our normal new year resolutions almost seem irrelevant this year, as we have all been affected emotionally, physically and spiritually by the devastation of 2020.
So how do we move forward when things don't look any different, in some cases may even be worse? How do we live our lives and stay positive when the world seems in chaos and we may have encountered loss personally? For some, life indeed looks bleak.
Without wanting to make light of peoples personal circumstances in any way, it depends on your perspective. "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life"
(proverbs 13:12). Lack of Hope makes the world dull and grey, but there is a hope that can give us strength, courage and the emotional resilience to keep going with an assurance of something far better.
There have been many times with horses that I have felt like giving up. Muddy winters, wellies sucked off and socks covered with mud, cold fingers, chilblains, heavy wheelbarrows, lame horses, difficult horses, the financial strain of keeping them going. What drives me to continue, especially as I am not getting any younger?
The answer my friend is Hope. These beautiful horses are my partners in life to bring some hope to those who are struggling, or broken hearted. When someone has a breakthrough moment from an interaction with one of my horses it makes it all worthwhile and I know that the hardships are temporary to get the permanent result.
Real hope has an eternal perspective, the hope that the best is yet to come. It takes our focus off ourselves and what we can't do to what is possible. Hope outweighs sorrow and looks up not within. Hope in the glory and goodness of God is not some wishy washy, fairy unicorn, whimsical type of hope, no it is gutsy, real, tangible and gives an assurance that whatever we are suffering now, there is something better by far that has been planned for our lives, even when we cant see it yet. Our job is to look up and believe it. When we dare to do that we can experience a joy and peace while we wait, regardless of our circumstances.
So I want to encourage you today to not give up hope. Maybe today you can take a first step towards your own personal development, it could be changing a habit, overcoming an addiction or anxiety, getting in touch with someone you haven't spoken to for a long time, you know what that thing is and we at Hephzibah are here to help you do that and journey with you and encourage you to help fulfill your hopes and dreams in 2021.
My hope is that you will take that first step towards finding your inner peace this year.
God bless you all
Emma and the three amigos
WISE WORDS
"Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal weight of glory that far outweighs them all" (2 Corinthians 4:17).