Today, I want to hope.

…That I will love Scripture more than books or blogs.

…That I will be a doer of the Word and not just a hearer.

…That I will find my greatest delight in secret communion with God, in prayer and meditation on His Word.

…That I will be a faithful, respectful, loving wife.

…That I will be a joyful, sacrificial, loving mother.

…That I will choose affliction over sin.

…That I will make the most of each fleeting day of my short life.

…That I will value Christ above all else.

…That I will mature and grow in Christ, increasing in self-control, becoming a woman of strength and dignity.

…That I will be a Mary, not a Martha – not distracted by much serving, but focused on the one thing that’s truly important.

…That I will not be lazy and self-indulgent, but diligent, seeking excellence in all I do.

…That my actions will flow from a pure heart transformed by grace, instead of a hypocritical spirit putting on a face.

Taking stock of my heart, mind, and life right now, I am tempted to think I have no reason to hope for these things. They seem like far-off, ethereal desires – like a bell I can hear faintly ringing in the distance.

But I dare to hope anyway.

Because “of Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think.” A God who remembers His covenant, whose promises never fail.

“Spiritual fatalism is tragic in the church. It leaves people stuck. It takes away hopes and dreams of change and growth. It squashes the excitement of living—which is growth. It’s like saying to a gawky little girl who feels like her body is all out of proportion: well that’s the way you are, and you will always be that way, when in fact she is meant to grow and change…

The fatalist says, ‘I can’t fly. I can’t even run. My feet are frozen in my genetic makeup and my dysfunctional family of origin. And besides that I don’t have any wings. I cannot fly. That’s the way I am.’ But over against that fatalism, the gospel says, ‘Fly! You don’t have desires for the milk of the word? Well, have them…’

If God says to desire, when we don’t desire, then we trust him that he must know something we don’t know. He must have some power we don’t have. There must be a way. That’s the opposite of spiritual fatalism. God commands it. So there must be a way. I will not settle for less than what God commands, even if it is a command to fly.”

-John Piper