by Beth Vogt
Sometimes I get to the end of the day and my hope is worn thin.
If you’re a J.R.R. Tolkien fan, you might recall how the hobbit Bilbo Baggins described himself to Gandalf the wizard in The Lord of the Rings: “I feel thin, sort of stretched, like butter scraped over too much bread.”
There are days our hope gets stretched too thin by circumstances in our lives. It’s as if we’re caught in an unending cycle of hardships and disappointments that deplete our faith.
There was a season in my life when I dealt with chronic vertigo—a season that lasted for more than three years. I once described vertigo as having my own personal roller coaster in my head. Humorous, yes. But the reality of living with vertigo every day for so long was exhausting. Most days I felt just a little off-balanced if I tilted my head to the left or if I bent down to empty the dishwasher or to transfer laundry from the washing machine to the dryer. Then there were the times I’d be hit with a major attack and forced to lie flat on my back in bed for days.
During this time, I fell asleep every night exhausted—physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
One lesson I learned: Hope is a renewable commodity. No matter how the stressors of my day frayed my hope, I discovered I could wake up each morning to new hope. How? I clung to the truth in Lamentations 3:22-23 (ESV): “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
Each morning we wake up to a renewed portion of God’s steadfast love and mercy. God’s love for us is unwavering. His mercy is everlasting—we can’t wear it out, no matter how worn down we feel by the trials we’re enduring. The Hebrew word for great means God’s faithfulness toward us is exceedingly abundant. Surely that’s enough to refresh our hope when it’s been drained by the demands of the day.
Tonight, if you crawl into bed and your hope is worn thin, go ahead and tell God how you’re feeling. Offer your fragile confidence to him, trusting him to renew your hope because of his steadfast love, everlasting mercy, and abundant faithfulness toward you.
Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him. Psalm 62:5 NIV
This article is brought to you by the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association (AWSA).

About the author: Beth K. Vogt believes God’s best often waits behind the doors marked “Never.” She’s a national speaker and established magazine writer, as well as a mentor to writers, and the author of 14 novels/novellas, including The Best We’ve Been, the final book in Beth’s Thatcher Sisters Series. Find out more about Beth and her books at bethvogt.com.

Join the conversation: What do you do when your hope wears thin?