Be Hopeful and Live for Abundance

No matter what is going on, do not settle if you are wanting more.

In our lives, I am sure we have all had many highs and many lows. This year especially for so many, we have watched others, and experienced in our lives tremendous lows and unexpected challenges. Yes, many times we feel like the lows won’t go away. We think every time we start feeling better, something else happens. It is almost feels like when we truly lean into our joy and are expecting abundance, something will happen. So without realizing it, we don’t truly embrace an abundance of joy, because we feel that it might be pulled out from us again.

So we settle for ok. We settle for making it through the day, because expecting more seems too much.

We settle for surviving rather than thriving.

We might settle for giving just enough to our marriage, rather than giving more to experience one filled with abundance and full of life.

We might settle for our day being average, rather than wonderful, because we just gotta get through.

We might settle for just doing the daily routine, because that seems attainable.

We might settle for our job, because anything else seems out of reach.

We settle for not following our dreams, because it seems out of our reach, and it might not work out.

We settle for just checking off some to-do’s, rather than really embracing the day with love, laughter, hugs, dancing and telling those in our life how much they mean to us….because that makes us vulnerable and seems too much.

We settle for feeling disappointed, rather than finding good even in the challenges and the mundane. There is always some good to find. Yes, sometimes it is harder than other times for sure.

We settle for being down or grumpy, or just going through the motions, rather than feeling joy and smiling regardless.

Listen…every statement above I have felt. I write about my struggles, selfishly helping myself, and hoping to touch someone else in the process.

It seems sometimes to be easier to let life bring us down, and not want to expect and embrace the abundance that we can have.

So…the choice is ours. Embrace all. The highs. The lows. The surprises. The disappointments. Everyday will usually hold a bit of each one of these. Stop settling. Stop accepting less than abundance.

How we react and what we embrace is our choice. Yep…our reaction, how we live and what we embrace is OUR CHOICE.

When others hurt, I hurt. No matter how I try to go about my life, I don’t always truly embrace all my joy when I know someone else, or myself, is dealing with heartache. No matter the circumstance, or what we are all going through, there is still joy, love, and life, to be found and to be embraced. We have to keep finding it, spreading it, and sharing it.

I love life. I love God. I have deep faith. I can’t imagine not having hope. I know that we all have this one precious life to live here on earth with each other. During our time here, we must embrace God’s beauty, joy and blessings. We must fill our heart and soul with the gifts around us.

My friend Jenni wrote recently that having hope is not always saying that you are ok, or that you are not hurting. Well said.

So it IS possible and ok to be hurting, and to still have hope.

So when we are not ok, it IS possible that we can still find hope. We can still find joy, and embrace the good in our lives.

So for today, if you are feeling down, defeated or grieving….pause, pray for God’s grace, and to fill your heart with faith, hope and joy. It is possible.

Embrace the moment. Embrace this precious life. Embrace the love and joy that is possible. Embrace the warmth of our God.

Find abundance in all of your life. Live expecting and giving abundance in all that you do.

Embrace today and have hope. Embrace the small, good things in your life…because they are truly the big things.

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. 

2 Timothy 4:7