Thankful Thursdays: HOPE Eternal

It’s Thursday and I’m thankful for HOPE but not the kind of fleeting hope of the heart for things we want to have or experience here on Earth…I am thankful for the eternal hope that only accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior can give you.

What brought this on, you may ask?

So glad you asked! The answer is reflection. I’ve been reflecting on words about life and death that I’ve heard over the years and I’ve been thinking about what to say in response that would help people understand why there is hope eternal available to us but we have accept Jesus into our lives to have it.

My reflections that led me to write this blog post today are several. I remembered that one day in my first career as an educator, there was a teacher who told his students something that I still recall today. A student complained to the teacher about something he did that the student thought was unjust. The student cried out, “But that’s not fair!” to which the much older teacher who had been seasoned by life responded, “Life’s not fair and then you die!”

I also recall that time in the teacher’s lounge at a school where I as a substitute teacher (I worked as a "sub" before studying to become a full-time teacher). We were on lunch break. The conversation amongst the teachers in the lounge was about how to live longer and one of the male teachers who walked in on the conversation told his colleagues with a side helping of cynicism, “Everybody dies!” Then he walked out.

Finally, I recall a conversation that I had as an adult with an older friend. She told me that she doesn’t believe in life after death. She believes that after you die, that’s it ... No resurrection by Jesus Christ, no hope of Heaven or fear of hell. So she makes the most of every day because she believes that life is precious.

Now, what is wrong with these scenarios and real-life views? To the people who believe these views nothing is wrong with it for them because everybody is entitled to believe what they want. However, as a person whose life has been not only saved but enriched by a relationship with Jesus Christ, I cannot imagine what it’s like to live with no hope eternal.

I cannot imagine that I’d never see my loved ones who have died again because of the theory that there’s no life after death. I cannot imagine going through all the trials and tribulations here on Earth then knowing that after I die there’s no hope of Jesus Christ returning to Earth to take His faithful followers home to Heaven where we will live with Him in healthy, immortal bodies forever. I cannot imagine that God will not do what He says He will do in His Word (The Holy Bible). I cannot imagine God not keeping His promises to give us eternal life through His Son Jesus Christ (John 3:16) because the Bible says that God does not lie (Numbers 23:19) like we as mere mortals do sometimes.

Even before dying, I cannot imagine living without the hope in Jesus Christ that helps me survive and keeps me alive. He protects me from so much. He gives me hope in seasons of despair. He adds to my quality of life and helps me love others and treat others the way that I would want to be treated.

A verse that came to my mind when I was reflecting on all of this today is found in
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (NIV) where followers of Jesus Christ are admonished to not grieve as those who “have no hope.” It addresses the grief process that we all experience when a loved one dies. Before closing, I’d like to share the entire passage with you:

“Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.”

In the midst of my reflections, God impressed me with a personal lesson. He showed me that when situations in my life or in the world around me become overwhelming and I feel like I’m sinking into despair, I should NOT feel hopeless. 

I realized that I have a choice: I can allow the issues of life to overwhelm me and feel hopeless OR I can choose to trust God who is Lord over ALL as I remember that no situation is ever hopeless because He is our Eternal Hope.

Please note: If any of you are dealing with chronic illness, depression, despair or any problem that makes you feel like you’re in the dark then do not only pray about, ask God to lead you to a medical professional who can help you. I’ve heard it said many times in real life and on social media that “It’s okay to talk to Jesus (Christ) and a therapist!” Don’t think that you have to handle the storms of life alone. You don’t! You have God and you can be under the care of people who God’s gifted on this Earth to be professional doctors, counselors, therapists, nutritionists, personal trainers…all to help you in every area of life!

In closing, I’d like to share this beautiful song by Terrian. It’s called “God with Us.” 

I hope that her kind, soothing voice will bless your heart and that the message in this song will help you get a glimpse of hope eternal!

Love,

Alexis A. Goring
Founder of "God is Love" blog

Litfuse Publicity Group blog tour featuring "Sacred Rest" (book) by Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith

Welcome to my blog's stop on the book tour for Sacred Rest!

It's a riveting read penned by a true expert with a heart for helping humankind. 

Read my review of this wonderful nonfiction book after you read the following information about the book and its awesome author!

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About the book:

Staying busy is easy. Staying well rested— there’s a challenge.

How can you keep your energy, happiness, creativity, and relationships fresh and thriving in the midst of never-ending family demands, career pressures, and the stress of everyday life? In Sacred Rest, Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith, a board-certified internal medicine doctor, reveals why rest can no longer remain optional.

Dr. Dalton-Smith shares seven types of rest she has found lacking in the lives of those she encounters in her clinical practice and research-physical, mental, spiritual, emotional, sensory, social, creative—and why a deficiency in any one of these types of rest can have unfavorable effects on your health, happiness, relationships, creativity, and productivity. Sacred Rest combines the science of rest, the spirituality of rest, the gifts of rest, and the resulting fruit of rest. It shows rest as something sacred, valuable, and worthy of our respect.

By combining scientific research with personal stories, spiritual insight, and practical next steps, Sacred Rest gives the weary permission to embrace rest, set boundaries, and seek sanctuary without any guilt, shame, or fear.

Learn more and purchase a copy.

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About the Author: Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith is an author, speaker, and board-certified physician. She has an active medical practice in Alabama (near the Birmingham area). She received her B.S. in Biochemistry at the University of Georgia and graduated with honors from Meharry Medical College in Nashville. She has been an adjunct faculty member at Baker College and Davenport University in Michigan teaching courses on health, nutrition, and disease progression. 

Dr. Dalton-Smith is a national and international media resource on the mind, body, spirit connection and has been featured in Women’s Day, Redbook, and First For Women magazine. She is the author of “Set Free to Live” and “Come Empty” (winner 2016 Golden Scroll Nonfiction Book of the Year and 2016 Illumination Award Gold medalist). She is a member of the Christian Medical and Dental Association and a repeat keynote speaker at their annual gathering. She has shared her tips on merging faith and medicine with over 16,000 health care professionals to encourage the current and next generation of doctors to treat the whole person.

Find out more about Saundra at http://ichoosemybestlife.com.

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My Review of Sacred Rest:

This book was everything that I expected yet exactly what I did not expect!

With a title like "Sacred Rest" and an author with impressive credentials as a doctor and media favorite, I expected this book to be a well-informed, enlightening read with a spiritual thread. But I did not expect it to grab me by the hand at the first page and fully captivate my attention like a good fiction story as the author used the power of words, real-life stories, medical resources and Bible-based truth to help me discover the reason why we all (humankind) need to learn how to truly rest.

I loved everything about this book and did not find anything that I did not like! The author has an authoritative voice but it's not overbearing and it won't cause you to become bored. She uses her authority as a health professional to effectively guide you through the ins and outs of "rest" as a concept and gives you a well-thought-out guide how even the busiest of persons can make true "rest" a reality in their life.

I appreciated the author's transparency in sharing scenes from her real-life story to enhance the storytelling. Early on in this book, the author made me laugh when she mentioned how she'd written a "birthing plan" and made copies for her husband and the medical professionals in the delivery room. She noted their response to her handing the papers of the birthing plan to them (they were not impressed and pushed the papers to the side to prepare to help her birth her baby). Later on during her labor when the pain became unbearable and unexpected situations occurred, one of the nurses asked the author, "Now what does the plan say we do about this?" Hilarious! But clearly at the time the author who was the expectant first-time mommy-to-be in the situation was not amused.

My heart softened and sympathized with one of the people the author mentioned who she was treating, a young lady who cut her wrists. The author noted that she could not heal the girl's pain, she could only suture the skin back together. The author touched on how medical professionals are trained to detach themselves from the patient in a professional manner as to not get emotional or draw into the intensity of what they're facing. She also talked about a conference in which she was the keynote speaker to a room filled with medical professionals and the first thing she realized is that she had to break the ice and teach them how to open up emotionally so that they could get the most of the healing experience she was there to facilitate.

There are many more wonderful examples in this book that spoke to my heart and enlightened my mind. But in the interest of time and keeping your attention along with not giving away the whole message in this book, I'll only mention a few more highlights...

Favorite line: "I'm convinced heaven must smell like hazelnut coffee" (page 7).

Most interesting interactive tool: The self-diagnosis that used several questions and a checklist to help the reader determine if you're experiencing a "mental rest deficit" or several other types of deficits such as "emotional rest deficit".

Most helpful feature: The section starting on page 129 that outlined and explored "Sacred Rest Boundaries" all the while emphasizing the importance of drawing and maintaining healthy boundaries.

Best Bible-based advice: "Cease fighting to have your way" (page 143). It's advice that's based on Romans 9:20 which is a Bible verse and it spoke most profoundly to me because that's a real-life struggle for me. The author said: "When we don't understand what God is doing, we journey into the battlefield of the mind and wage a war against our circumstances in the hopes that if we try hard enough and fight long enough, we will overcome the difficulty. But this is not the gift of freedom. Freedom is this: Instead of trying harder, trust more. Cease fighting, and with hands raised, bow your will to His. Assume a position of peace even in the midst of unfavorable circumstances or unknown outcomes. One way you know you've surrendered and ceased fighting is when you don't immediately react to adversity or challenging circumstances with fear and anxiety. You let go of your need to struggle and allow God to fight on your behalf. Some battles were never yours to fight standing, but the Lord's to fight while you rest."

...And the author could "drop the mic" right there and end the book on that note! But no, there are almost 100 more pages after that section to enjoy and explore!

If I could give this book a rating higher than five stars on Amazon.com, I totally would. It's worth its weight in gold and star power! If you have not read this book, you should.

*Litfuse Publicity Group provided me (Alexis A. Goring) with a complimentary copy of "Sacred Rest". My opinions in this book review are my own.