Peace, faith or hope

I've had a couple of interviews this week, and as of this writing, am waiting to hear the result. There have been enough times I was not successful in the interview that have made me balance on trying not to hope. At the same time, one of these interviews was for a job I've wanted for a long time, so I really DO want to hope this will be a good result and I'll be offered the job. I have been telling myself to stay at peace in the waiting, not to allow anxiety to grip me. However, when I journalled last night, God said, "I want you to be in faith". He added, "I want you to get your hopes up!"

Graham Cooke's blog this week has been right on this topic, and became a declaration I've been reading aloud since I heard it.
Read or listen here. Here are a couple of sound bites from the blog:

"We don’t have to worry about not measuring up. We don’t have to worry about feeling ashamed to ask for the things on our heart because we feel lacking or insignificant. Jesus is significant, and He’s in US! ... We can rest in the fact that God has already seen the outcome and already created provision. There’s no need to search for alternate solutions."

YES!! This is absolutely what I needed to hear. I am enough NOW. God already knows the outcome, and He won't be discouraged or upset with me if I don't get the job. He won't think more of me if I do get it. Either way, I am in line with Him, on track with His plans and going in the right direction.

Hope can be such a thorny thing when recovering from a major loss. Some of my hopes and dreams have had to die, and there is no way to negotiate around that. It has been a gradual process to recover the ability to hope and, although God has been working on me in the area of having dreams, I am still slow to move forward. It has been easier for me to dream about my career and try for new employment opportunities, so I have started there.

Peace comes with knowing God is in control, and I have given it over to Him. Philippians 4:7 famously says Do not be anxious for anything, but in everything ... present your requests to God. And the peace that passes all understanding will guard your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus. This is a great thing for those of us who over-think, worry and stew over things. It's probably a great thing for those who don't appear to stew over anything, but truly push it down deep so they are unaware of their buried feelings.

Faith is another proposition entirely, and Graham Cooke really helped me with that. Faith knows that God already knows the outcome and is still moving forward. Faith looks ahead, not back in time. Faith believes that God will win, and circumstances are only that. My identity is not determined by them. This truth is a work in progress with me, as I embrace a renewed mind that doesn't see past experiences as predicting future events.

Finally, hope stands before me as a goal to be attained, a work in progress. I really don't have a lot of advice there, as I'm only beginning to learn how to do this! But hope does not disappoint us because God has poured His Spirit into our hearts. That is our hope, and it is the basis of our hope. Keep going friend! There is more. It is Time for the new life to begin.