Knowing the end of a story can greatly affect the entire journey. Just a caterpillar has a destined end of becoming a butterfly. Seeing the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow gives the inspiration to get through the messy middle.

I like to imagine that the caterpillar is focused on the beautiful butterfly promise and not worrying so much about the in between moments of the cocoon or becoming a pile of slimy goop inside.

Before I ever started on my own journey of living out God’s promises for my life, God showed me how the love story would end. He gave me a very rough outline of what would take place and how He would be our ever-present support and “Home” through it all.

He never told me how the money would show up to cover our housing, but He promised that it would. It was often in the uncertain messy middle parts when I would have to die to the doubts and fears I had about God fulfilling this promise.

Sometimes God would show up through donations, or grants, or surprise deposits, or something totally different. Nevertheless, He always came through. It was typically very scary not having the control of knowing where the money would come from.

For several months, God just had someone miraculously pick up our housing payment bill and I never even got a deposit at all.

Then there were numerous months before that when God would continuously deposit $5000 in my account to cover our housing needs every single month. That went on for more than 6 months! It was a miracle because renting a furnished home from someone else is not cheap.

Another thing that God had shown me before we left for our great adventure was that we would have to stay in other people’s homes before we would have a home of our own.

I remember when God said that we would live in other peoples homes, I was hit with so much dread and worry. Not because I would mind at all, but because I have challenging children with special needs because of terrible things that happened to them when they were little.

I didn’t know how I could accommodate those needs in someone else’s home and there was no one in the world that could really understand–besides God. I remember I would pray to God out of hope, that we would not have to live with other people, because of these sensitive and delicate issues.

God started us in hotels which was nice because the kids had the privacy that they needed, and He eventually took us to really nice, comforting hotels with spacious rooms and wonderful amenities.

After a couple of years, once my faith was bigger to believe for more, then God took us to live “other people’s homes” through Airbnb.

It was such a relief to know that when God said that we would live in “other people’s homes” that He meant that we would stay in places that were owned by other people, but that we would not have to live with them.

God fulfilled my hopes, and it turned out to be even better than I had hoped! I found that my fears were not true and there was nothing to even worry about.

When God tells us the end, sometimes it is very vague. It is like seeing the butterfly from a distance. We can see the shape of the butterfly, but we cannot see the tiny details of beauty that is covering her wings.

That is what hope does. Hope zooms into the promise and gives the details that God doesn’t always share in the beginning. If we knew everything, then it would be faith at all. God loves to give us options of how we want our lives to be.

The beauty of it all is God gives us a choice of how to design the end result. He doesn’t take control of everything and not leave us with choices or options. He gives us the beauty to help create the dreams that we will love. That is where hope comes into the story.

We know the end result. Whatever, that may be for each person. But our hope is what decorates the experience to be the beauty of our heart desires.

While you are going through the middle, it can look messy. We know how the story will end, but we don’t know how the in between will look.

That is where I will share this secret with you. Hope is how the in between will look. God will cause it to be as you hope…and often even better than you hope. Hope is your part of having control, and it takes away the uncertainty of fear and being helpless.

One of the hardest parts of this journey to me was when I felt so helpless and without any control. I frequently felt like I had no part of my life and no options. That gave me despair and I used to battle suicidal thoughts because I had no hope. But then God showed me that hope is the design portion of my life.

We can have what we hope, when we trust and believe in our hopes. In all of these years and through more miracles than I can even remember, one thing was always true. God always did what I hoped, when I put my faith in my hopes.

The end that God promised always happened and what I hoped for was always what God did for me….when I pressed into my hopes and believed them into reality.

When you don’t know how things are going to work out or how the “in between” will be, then just think that it will be as you hope. Pray for your hopes, believe in your hopes and think as though you have exactly what you hope.

Hope will bring the beauty to the butterfly of your promised ending. Hope will be the design of the tiny little details. Dream about your hopes coming. Always imagine that each situation will be as you hope.

Because when you put your faith into your hopes, then they will not fail. Hope gives you the paintbrush to choose the colors and beauty of the in between.

 

Hope is how you steer yourself to your promised ending. No matter which direction you take, God will ensure that you make it to the place of your promised ending, as long as you believe Him.

But God allows you to choose the course to take, by following your hopes. That is so powerful! Because when you feel helpless, then all of a sudden, you realize that your hopes are your power and freedom to have a little control about how things will be for you.

Hope will lead you through calm waters and sunshine, while fear or worry will lead you through a raging storm of being bashed by raging waves and strong winds. Personally, I prefer a peaceful journey to the end result of my promise.

Some people only put their faith in their fears and worries and then end up going through much chaos and afflictions through the path to promise fulfillment. It’s always a choice of where you apply your faith.

If you want to see the most beauty, like a spectacular shimmering butterfly, then put your faith in your hopes. In all this time and through so many uncertainties, I have found that my hopes always happen, and my fears lie to me.

So take a little control over the design of how you would like your life to look by choosing to only imagine, think, and believe that your hopes will happen. God will meet your expectations by doing far beyond what you hoped or dreamed that He would.

I am praying that your hopes would come true and be the beauty that you are looking forward to!

Love, Dannette

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