FEELING HOPEFUL

There are a couple of issues I've been dealing with for so long I've pretty much given up on seeing change this side of Heaven, and have resigned myself to accepting. One of them is my aching, hunched over back.

The Lord, however, is using my jade plant to remind me that nothing is impossible with Him.

My jade plant had outgrown the pot it was in, and its woody stem that had grown as thick as a tree trunk, was bent over and rigid (like my back) all because I had not been consistent about turning the pot around to face the sun. 

The plant was leaning against the window for support, and was so heavy it could no longer be turned without having the pot tip over.

With a friend's help, we repotted it into a much larger pot, but we couldn't straighten it enough to keep it from tipping over. We secured it to several bamboo stakes to try and provide enough support to keep it from toppling over and turned the bent part towards the sun, hoping that would cause it to straighten. 

Because of how thick and inflexible looking that stem had become, I honestly didn't expect that to happen--any more than I expected my back to straighten. In my eyes, neglect had caused damage beyond repair to both it and me.

Much to my great surprise, however, only ten days later, I'm noticing that that thick trunk is slowly starting to bend the other way. 

That gives me hope that possibly, if I am consistent in my efforts, my back too could show signs of straightening? I know God is patient and longsuffering and that He never gives up on us, but is this too much to ask or expect?

The devotional I read during my quiet time this morning was full of hopeful and encouraging words that seemed very timely and relevant to my issue, as well as contain an answer to my question.

The gist of the message was that unbelief looks at the past and says it can't be done (my thoughts about the damage I've done to my back),  but faith looks at the future and says it can.

God's mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23), and if we take God at His word, that means we can wake up every morning to a brand new world and live unhindered by the past.

It ended with an exhortation to replace thoughts of yesterday's mistakes with Scriptural promises about the future, and instead of telling myself I can't, replace that with I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13).