You don’t know what you don’t know. Take the toddler, who is learning to walk on their own and stubbornly insists they can walk without your hand in the parking lot or down the stairs. Or the new teenage driver who can’t understand why a car full of friends

Somedays, I’m cruising along in good spirits, doing my best to live my life well and walk with the Lord.

Until something comes along and unexpectedly changes my situation in ways I don’t appreciate. Suddenly, my bright outlook turns towards discouragement as I decide how to move forward.

As a young mom, naptime was precious. Between 1 and 3 in the afternoon, I had a block of quiet time that didn’t occur again until bedtime. With so many things to accomplish and so few hours, I would run myself dry while my sons napped.

It was my 16th birthday, and although turning 16 was exciting, it didn’t look anything like I thought it would. Instead of celebrating my milestone birthday with my closest friends and family, I was 756 miles away, an exile in a foreign land called Kentucky.

Jerusalem was under attack. The Babylonians spared few - men and women of all ages, children, and the elderly lost their lives. They plundered all the sacred, valuable articles from the Temple and every treasure from the land.

Hope is a word that gets tossed around casually.