Turning Your Ashes into Beauty... Being a Woman of Hope

by Debra Ann Elliott
(Birmingham, AL, USA)

For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope. Romans 15:4 NIV

Are you a woman of hope? God did not bring you out of ashes into beauty to be hopeless. Hope is deep within you. It is anchored to your soul by endurance and encouragement.

We have this hope as in an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. it enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtian. Hebrews 6:19 NIV

Hope enters your soul through endurance. Hope is anchored to your soul by the trials you have gone through and steadfastness in your faith. You have never given up. You have had patience you would come through the "fire".

Be assured and understand that the trial and proving of your faith bring out endurance and steadfastness and patience. James 1:5 AMP

Hope enters your soul through encouragement. Hope is anchored to your soul by the encouragement of Jesus Christ.

Who comforts us in every trouble, so that we may also be able to comfort those who are in any kind of trouble or distress, with the Lord so your heart will be glad, your tongue will rejoice and your soul will rest in hope. II Corinthians 1:4 AMP

Your endurance and encouragement are your hope. Both come form the Lord so your heart will be glad, your tongue will rejoice and your soul will rest in hope.

Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest in hope. Acts 2:26 NIV

Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him. Psalms 62:5 NIV

Over the past months we have looked at what God has done for us. He brought us up out of the ashes into the beauty of faith, knowledge, encouragement, compassion, strength, wisdom and hope.

Without faith you would not have knowledge, without knowledge you would not have encouragement, without encouragement you would not have compassion, without compassion you would not have strength, without strength you would not have wisdom and without wisdom you would not have hope.

Faith, knowledge, encouragement, compassion, strength, wisdom and hope are YOUR character. God has given you each of these characteristics for a purpose. He wants you to be a woman of character!

In my next column I will talk to you about being a woman of character and what you have to do to become that woman.

Be blessed in all the Lord has given you,
Debra