31 Days of Hope Day 21

"After Hurricane Katrina came, the city of New Orleans did some serious reflection. Teams of people gathered and asked, "How can we make sure this never happens again?"  It's wise for us to do the same after a storm comes into our lives. We can ask ourselves, "What weaknesses did this storm reveal? Where is my foundation strong and where do I need to make repairs?" 

In the fallen world we live in, it is easier to focus on the negatives of a "storm", instead of facing it head on and seeing growth and renewal in it.  Sometimes I have to catch myself viewing a storm as if I am looking at the glass as half empty instead of half full.  It's the same amount, with the same ingredients, however, it's really in how I choose to see it, as well as, how my heart attitude is about the situation.

The way to see any situation as a glass half full, is to ask yourself the same questions as stated above:

1. How can you make sure this situation never happens again? Are you willing to do what needs to be done to ensure it doesn't?

2. What weakness did this storm reveal? (did you ignore red flags? did you act in your flesh? did you allow pride to get in the way?  do you have a bigger issue/problem that needs to be addressed?)

3. Is your foundation strong and if there are any weak spots or cracks, where do you need to make repairs?  And more importantly, what will you do to strengthen and repair weak spots and cracks? 

Once you have asked yourself these questions it is important that you take time to honestly and prayerfully answer them.  If we focus on what we can learn from our storms instead of allowing the storm itself to hurt us, we will always have HOPE!  

In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us    
Hebrews 6:17-20