Welcome my friend, Karen Lembo! A resident of Maryland, Karen & I connected through an article she wrote for Journey Magazine. She’s a prolific writer and blogger, as well as a teacher and talented artist. Her paintings are gorgeous!
We hope to connect in person one day, but in the meantime we’ll continue our bloggy friendship! Be sure to check out some of her practical tips and encouraging posts at her blog, Living Above The Laundry Pile.
Riding the Escalator of Hope
“How do I do another load of laundry?” I sigh as I come to grips with the time on the clock by my head. Sometimes it is just hard to drag myself out of bed and face the mundane, repetitive tasks before me. ”I want a life of adventure!” my soul cries. But the dog needs to go out, the lunches prepared, I need to exercise, grocery shop and do another load of laundry. My family needs me. But I’m tired of doing this, Lord.
“Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope“
I read in Romans 15:4 over my breakfast cereal. Hope. Endurance. Encouragement. The words linger, beckoning me to a place above the laundry pile. I take God’s hand and let His words lift my slumped shoulders.
“Hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently”
I am still in Romans, now chapter 8, verses 24-25. Want to know more about hope? How about Hebrews 11:1-2
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for”
Hope is like an escalator that propels my spirit to a place above the laundry pile. To a place where the view is clearer, the air fresher. I’m not all I’m going to be, but I’m heading in the right direction. I have hope because God is who He says He is. And one day I will see Him.
From up here, I realize, “this is the adventure! Even if all I can see is laundry and children and dinner that needs to be prepared, the adventure is in the hoping. The adventure is in seeking the promise, wherever that trail may lead.”
And I don’t think I’ll be in this place forever. If I let Him, God will continue to lead me through other seasons. For now, my place is at my post, right here, creating the heart of my home. Watching, waiting, hoping, enduring–these are all part of having the adventure.
I can’t climb to this place, Lord. I need your hope to transport me to this place above the laundry pile, to this place where I feel peace and security. I may not have physically changed circumstances, but hope changes my perspective and my attitude. I think it will be a better day now.
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace
as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope,
by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13)
And may our families, friends and others get caught under that overflow of hope today. Have a great week, my sweet friends!
Oh wow! I love this, I love thinking about hope as an escalator, rising me above my laundry pile. Well done Blog!
Thanks for the encouragement! Thanks, too, Susan, for allowing me to bless your audience today with God’s message of hope.
This is the adventure – oh yes! Juggling the doctor appointments, making cakes for band auctions, doing homework. Singing His praises helps me unleash His Hope that “transports me” to that place. I’ll be hopping over to Living Above The Laundry Pile now….
Thanks Jeanette! It will be a pleasure to have you!
Love this..the adventure of hope is the very foundation of our faith in all seasons of our lives. So grateful for the songs of hope that come in the midst of everyday life.
it IS like a song…and nice when it replaces some of the dumb ones stuck in my head…
Oooh, gorgeous, Karen. This is a gem of a post.
Aww… like a spiritual yoga class this morning using words to fill me with a sense of peace, comfort, and relaxation. I love the feeling of being filled with God’s joy and peace and having an over-flowing of hope within (breathe it in… breathe it out… no better way to start a new day).
Thanks Meredith and Marisa…love the spiritual yoga class…I need to remember to breathe!
Oh my! Staring at my own pile of “laundry” and I know what you mean. I long for more, but this is where He has me for now. But until that time that he says MOVE, I will be hoping and waiting on Him!
I’ll never see an escalator in the same way again. My favorite: “Hope is like an escalator that propels my spirit to a place above the laundry pile. To a place where the view is clearer, the air fresher.”
One verse that lifts me up above the day-to-day stuff is Acts 17:28: …for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His children.’
Thank you Karen and Susan. What a blessing!
beautiful post!! And happy to meet a new friend of Susan’s!!
My verse is “I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me!”
This verse has helped me in more ways than one! Looking forward to checking out your blog!!!
Thanks for stopping by, everybody! Karen’s blog is full of encouragement, and this piece is just a sample. And such a great title, Living Above The Laundry Pile — isn’t that where we are??
Thanks for guesting for me this month, Karen!
Love Isaiah 41:10… hope and a command to Fear not… Thanks Karen for a great post!
Thanks for all the words of encouragement–I think these kinds of verses really resonate the most with our tired souls. I am subbing in a 5th grade class today–and you all have lifted me up again today : ) thanks
I remember being a young adult wife, mother, and singing that song: “Is that all there is?” I didn’t realize then that we do go through seasons…and we go through them quickly. And now it’s over 40 years later and now I’m singing “Sunrise, sunset quickly fly the years…”
God does indeed have seasons for us, and we’re the happiest and most hopeful when we enjoy the season we’re in. (Spoken by an old woman who’s seen lots of seasons come and go!)
Thanks Susan and Karen!
I’m getting there, too, Vonda, as mine are widely spaced. I can see where this is heading, and I know I will miss it, too! It IS bittersweet. I keep thinking, “I just want a LITTLE break, but I don’t want it to END!” Thanks for your perspective.
Thank you Karen- you captured my thoughts! Perhaps I should post some of these verses in my laundry room, literally above the pile. Yes, I will try to appreciate this season.
Thank you so much Karen,
I esp. like this line, “Hope is like an escalator that propels my spirit to a place above the laundry pile.” Indeed!
It’s too easy to focus on the here and now and forget the big picture!
Thanks for your great thoughts,
Hester,