My children often catch me deep in thought, whether over the kitchen sink doing dishes, folding clothes, or sipping a cup of coffee on the porch. I love to ponder how things work. It could be something as simple as dreaming up a recipe and how the ingredients will taste together. Or, perhaps it’s imagining a new color palette when decorating a room. Then there are moments of thinking through how to design a new layout in the magazine or code a new project on my website.

But most often, I get lost in thought when trying to understand more fully the events in my own life and how God’s hand is upon them. In relationships, parenting, finances, trials, or decision making, what am I to learn, how am I to respond, and what hidden treasures and lessons are there for me to discover?

This year, I’ve experienced a great deal of change. For a gal who likes things planned and ordered, change doesn’t come easily. When I sense a shift on the horizon, I begin to feel my heartbeat increase and my hands sweat. If I think on it too long, I can become withdrawn and irritable. Change often comes with many unknowns, and, as a Christian, it definitely challenges my faith.

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11: 1

As I explore this great verse on faith and the impact is has on parenting, homeschooling, and family journey, I am reminded that, through the unknowns of change, hope becomes my solid rock, my known.

Hope is not a wish for a desired outcome, nor is it a whimsical “que sera, sera; whatever will be, will be” attitude.

Hope aggressively, and with great determination, grabs hold of truth and firmly reiterates it back to the situation.

Hope is fostered and fed in our minds as we recount to ourselves the truth of who God is, how He redeemed us, and the many times in our lives He has worked his sovereignty for our good.

When I stop worrying about the what-ifs during times of change and focus on the promises of what I know to be true, my faith springs to life and spills out on those around me.