Starting Again

Do you remember your first date? Getting all dolled up, stressing over the perfect outfit and shade of lipstick? Anxiously wondering, Will he like me? Will I like him? What will we talk about? Will he hold my hand? Ahhh, the memories of young love. 

But if we’ve lived more than a minute, we know that love relationships aren’t all bouquets of roses every day. As a relationship progresses, there is always a risk that it will lead into “heartbreak valley”. We find that we can’t control the other person’s actions, and the possibility of having our hearts broken is a very real thing. 

The same can be said of life in general. There are valleys that we walk through that are filled with painful memories and darkness. The temptation is to sit down and give up, letting our tears carry us deeper and deeper into the valley. But God says that He’s not willing for you to stay there. He nudges us to get up and start again. So He shines His light so that we can find the acres of hope that we desperately need Hosea 2:16 (The Message) tells us, 

And now, here’s what I’m going to do... I’ll turn Heartbreak Valley into Acres of Hope. 

It’s not an easy walk out of Heartbreak Valley and into Acres of Hope. In fact, it will require much soul-searching and prayer, a relinquishing of control and a willingness to replace it with trust in a greater plan than ours. Yet it’s there that we are wooed once again with bouquets of roses, and we remember our First Love. Brush yourself off, beautiful one, and start walking toward the light. It’s time to start again. 

Lord, You are our First Love, the One who shines the light in our darkest valley and leads us to acres of hope. We put our trust in You alone. 

April Rodgers 
Made to Shine 

Looking for more inspiration? You can find hope & encouragement in God’s Word every day with the new DaySpring Hope & Encouragement Bible now available on DaySpring.com!