Lessons in Hope...

I find myself excited today!  There are some tasks that seem quite daunting and to be honest co-ordinating complimentary bridesmaids dresses with my maid of honor and bridesmaid in different countries was one of those things that had me a little worried.  Again I have to say that technology and David's Bridal made this a much easier task than I expected it to be.  It started out as a simple question on Friday morning to my maid of honor in Canada, "Do you have a black dress?"  What followed over the next afternoon was a fun experience in "shopping" with my maid of honor for dresses.  She would send me pictures and I could see how each different dress looked on her and how it would work with the overall vision I had for my wedding.  By the end of the afternoon we had settled on a dress that worked for her and as the store was kind enough to hold her size we were able to check with my other bridesmaid to ensure that it was something that would work for both.  By Saturday afternoon my maid of honor has her dress and this afternoon my bridesmaid had hers.  It leaves me feeling like things are beginning to come together.   My checklist of things I can mark off as finished is growing and it's exciting!  Bridesmaids dresses... Check.  Sample dress ready for initial fitting... Check.  Church reserved... Check.  Crinoline for dress ordered... Check.  Photographer reserved... Check.  Yep.  My done list is growing quite nicely.  Of course I'll admit that I'd really like it if that big piece of a venue for the reception would take care of itself, but as Dustin reminds me it's a problem to solve and we'll figure it out.  The little pieces that do fall together leave me with a sense of hope.  Hope that things really will come together after all.  Hope that as difficult as things seem at certain moments in this process that they will work together for good and result in beautiful memories.  The message this morning left me with three thoughts.  1) Hope is a choice 2) God allows the moments of despair to offer opportunities of surrender and 3) God gives us glimpses of his glory.    It leaves me with a few thoughts when you combine the message this morning with the accomplishments of the weekend.  God does not create the moment of my despair, but he does allow them.  He allows those moments that cause the tears because if I allow them I can learn as Job did to bless his name and be a testimony to the hope he offers by the lessons I learn in those moments, but then he provides the glimpses of his glory in the moments that present themselves in moments like this weekend where the dresses for two women in two different countries came seamlessly together as if the three of us walked into the store together to purchase them.  How I choose to view the entire picture is up to me, which pulls together the main thought I took away from church this morning.  Hope is a choice.  I can see the ease with which the dresses came together as coincidence or I can choose to see it as a sign of hope.  The hope that God can and will work those details out.  Will I get it right every time?  Maybe not, but each time I do makes me a little stronger in my faith and brings me a little bit closer to God.  And the reality is the journey even if it gets a little bumpy at times is an awesome experience!