New Beginnings
Photo by Bethany Blair Photography
I have included a picture of me and my precious girl as a newborn. She is such a gift to my life!! I longed for many years to have a precious baby and she is an answer to prayers. I treasure my days with her!
I remember those days of her as a newborn so vividly. Everything was a new beginning in my life, and so exciting. As I launch Cups with Hope, it feels like such a new beginning. It is a new beginning to launch something like this online store. I have always loved encouraging friends and buying small gifts for them. I learned this from my mom as she is so generous with words and gifts.
I pray that you can use these inspirational coffee mugs as a gift of encouragement for yourself or for your friends and family. May they be used as a reminder for prayer and proclamation of truth over your lives.
Vision behind "Stories of Hope"
Cups with Hope began in my heart to bring words of encouragement to your heart….specifically God’s truth. We all need encouragement to spur us on day to day. Just today I left a friend’s presence encouraged as she pointed me to God’s truth. I desire this blog to be a space in which we can leave each other encouraged. May it be a space similar to having a cup of your favorite hot drink, “aka cup of hope” with like hearted friends.
Some of the posts will be on specific topics of hope. Others may just be encouragements to spur us on in our walk with God. I want to daily grow closer to God in intimacy with Jesus and growing in Him. Please feel free to write me with ideas at christi@cupswithhope.com. I would love to hear from you!
Hope in the midst of waiting and the unknown
As I write this, I think about my four year old and how excited I get surprising her. I really don’t need her to know the step by step plan. I get so excited seeing her joy in the surprise. I have a plan even when she doesn’t realize it. God has us and has a plan even when we don’t see it with our natural eyes. We need to rest in His great care and love!
The journey is often filled with tears and questions. It looks different in all our lives, but most of us have felt the tension of waiting. Some of you have experienced extreme heartache, in which my heart wants to reach out and hug you.
A little about me: My life has often felt like a long journey of waiting. I didn’t get married until my late 30’s. We struggled with infertility. We had an adoption loss in which I was in the delivery room, cutting the umbilical cord and bringing the sweet baby home. We experienced job loss. We were most recently waiting on God’s plan for another adoption, which we have surrendered to Him.
Each of the above times of waiting has brought with it such beauty and a story of God’s grace. I am learning (slowly at times) to lean into God’s comfort. He has me and can see into my yesterdays, todays and tomorrows all at the same time. I am also learning that ultimately we are all longing for heaven. He also wants us to lean into Him and experience greater intimacy with Him than we have ever known. I am so thankful that we have the Holy Spirit to guide and comfort us.