Spiritual

Annie’s Journal

Written by Annie Warner Donnelly

Sep 23, 2024 – Hello Everyone. I’m thinking about the hope I’ve found in my faith. Every day on my journey to recovery, I believe God is healing me, a bit at a time, and that one day soon, I’ll be enjoying a pain free life with renewed strength. I have it on good authority that “faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1)

I have a little plaque whose message has sustained me through the events of the past few years. It reads: “Hope is Never Lost”. I have found that to be true. I keep a firm grip on faith and hope so they can never be lost in my life. I’ve made the choice to have confidence in what I know to be true as opposed to believing some fear of the unknown.

Every time God has helped me, comforted me, demonstrated His love for me, the assurance about “what I do not see” has increased. God is love and He loves you and me! My testimony is that these words are true. This isn’t something I hope is true. I have evidence that assures me that it’s true!

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us that we should be called the children of God! And that is who we are!” (1 John 3:1)

Over the years, I have needed forgiveness many times. The words in 1 John 1:9 provide assurance of God’s forgiveness no matter what the sin has been: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

When we realize that we should ask for forgiveness (not just say we’re sorry) for something we’ve said or done, a fellow human being may choose to not forgive us. But God is faithful and just, and He will forgive us. His mercies are new every morning. Every morning, we can have a fresh start. Hope is never lost as long as we believe that God’s words are true. Let’s believe together. Amen.