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"Find hope in 2025..." January 15, 2025 |
January 2025 How to find hope in 2025
You want your life to be better in 2025, right? But all of us have tried self-improvement, and frankly, it doesn't work very well.
Over the years, I've learned God-based improvement is what we need. The difference centers on who is improving you and what his goals are. That doesn't mean you have to give up your own goals. It just means that when you submit to your Father's will for you, you end up with something much better than you ever could have imagined. This path gives hope. Hope is sustainable when it's focused on Somebody who cannot fail, and that's God. To make it in the single life, we need a Big Hope, and that can only come from a Big God. I encourage you to take a look at our January feature article. If you only read the newsletter itself but not the articles it links to, you're missing out on the creme filling inside the Oreo. And that would be sad. So before you travel too far into 2025, here's where you can find hope you can count on.
Things are different nowI spent many years destroying myself,I couldn't move on somehow. But I see clearer than I ever did; things are different now. I made my share of painful mistakes, Things are different now. I guard the thoughts that go through my mind. Things are different now. See for yourself the changes it makes. ~ Jack Zavada, www.inspiration-for-singles.com, 2025 ~ Tips to help you adapt to change
Sometimes I hate to read the news in the morning because I know a change is coming I won't like. The older you get, the less you like change.
What saves me is I hold tightly on to some things that will never change. They're always dependable, like the love of Jesus. How about you? How are you coping with change? Does it leave you feeling confused and angry? Or do you roll with all the newness, accepting it as inevitable? I recently updated an article on how to adapt to change. I think you'll find some of the ideas helpful for your own life. It even points out that when you're in an upsetting situation, you can be sure it won't last forever. Try these tips on how to adapt to change.
"How can you be hopeful about your life if you believe God has let you down?"
That's a question I ask in my book Hope for Hurting Singles, and, it's a question I answer.
If life is a gradual realization that we're not going to get everything we dream about, it is also an unfolding understanding that God is the ultimate fulfillment of our desires. Now that's a hard thing to take. Most singles go through life prioritizing other things above God. Let's be honest. From the time we're in high school, intimacy with Jesus is not our number one goal. Hope for Hurting Singles meets you where you are and guides you to the truth that Christ actually can meet your deepest needs. This doesn't mean you have to give up and quit trying for other objectives. Just the opposite! God provides the strength we singles require to wake up optimistic every morning. The Christ-centered life is a joyful life. What is Hope for Hurting Singles about? It's a book of practical biblical principles you can apply to real-world problems. I know they work because I learned them through trial-and-error. I lay down what doesn't succeed and what does. I did the painful test-drives so you don't have to. The most dangerous thing any of us can do in 2025 is deny the truth of the Bible. To hope in anything but God is to invite disappointment. Hope for Hurting Singles will put you on the path to godly contentment. Order your copy today: $10.99 in paperback and $3.99 for the Kindle version.January QOTM: Something let you downJanuary's Quote of the Month comes from psychologist and author Edward T. Welch, from his book, Depression: Looking Up from the Stubborn Darkness:~ Edward T. Welch (1953 - ) ~ We're a strange lot, we human beings. We place our hope in the most unqualified things: politicians, celebrities, influencers, friends and relatives, or our significant other. And we never learn our lesson! No matter how many times we get disillusioned, we go back and do the same thing over again. And I'm as guilty as anybody. Sometimes—but not always—we finally put our hope in God, but then we want things our way instead of his. When we don't get our way, we think God let us down too. Except he never promised to be our genie. God gives us the things he promises, not the things we imagine he promises. That's why it's good to read the Bible, so we can be sure of the difference. You can claim his promises, but first you have to know what they are. Make this resolution: Be kind to yourself
Too many singles treat themselves like an enemy instead of a friend. Some churches are so paranoid about pride that they encourage their members to beat up on themselves, as if they have no value at all.
The black singer and actor Ethel Waters said, "I am somebody 'cause God don't make no junk." If you've been treating yourself like junk, it's time to stop. If you've been putting yourself down all your life, this will be a hard habit to break. But you need to agree with God. God says your value comes from the love he has for you. He takes you right where you are and keeps improving you a little each day, if you let him. Look in the mirror and like the person you see. Here are some ideas on how to be kind to yourself. What the Bible says about your self-talkWe singles probably have a more active thought life than our married friends, simply because we're alone more, and our mental conversations are not interrupted.God wants us to have peace. Jesus told his disciples: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid." (John 14:27, ESV) One way we can have more peace is by paying attention to our self-talk. Proverbs 4:23 warns us, "Be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your life."
In the coming year, try to make your mind a garden of peace. I know! Big challenge. I struggle with this every day, and much of my agitation comes from the news. I'm going to severely limit my news intake in 2025. Really, we can live without most of it, and news outlets deliberately sensationalize everything to keep us coming back for more. The article above, about being kind to yourself, is another way to have more peace. Where has all the self-criticism gotten you in the past? Time to knock it off. William James, the Father of American Psychology, said, "Man can alter his life by altering his thinking." Yep. So can woman. Let's all alter our thinking, starting right now. Let's think more about Jesus and less about the world. Let's quit beating ourselves up. Let's cast our cares upon the Lord; He can handle them. And let's be ruthless about stopping agitating thoughts. Encourage a friend—for the cost of a stamp!
Well, they're definitely low-tech, but there's something charming about opening an envelope you receive in the mail and finding one of our f/ree Mini-Encouragers inside.
They're small greeting cards you print out on your own printer, and if you have a color printer, they even have full-color covers. Then you fold it to form a four-sided card, drop it in an envelope, address it, and attach a postage stamp. In a couple days your friend will receive a much-needed boost, and you'll both feel happier. As always, our free/bies have no strings attached. Check out our Mini Encouragers. Inspiring quotes to give you hope
I'm in the process of improving all the quotations pages on www.inspiration-for-singles.com. Whew! It's a big job.
Recently I finished a page that fits in with our theme this month. Enjoy these inspiring quotes to give you hope. And that, single friend, concludes our January Inspire-O-Gram. If you'd like to comment or drop me an email, our secure contact form routes it right into my personal inbox, where I'll read it and send you a personal reply. No AI for this single guy. Thanks for reading and giving me the privilege of visiting you once again. Watch your email in February for our Valentine's Day issue.
Until then,
Jack Zavada
PS: Not a Christian yet? Find out how to become a Christian.
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