April Hope Whispers

April 28, 2022 Trudy Den Hoed despair, feeling forsaken by God, freedom, God cares, God is with us always, God loves us, God speaks in nature, God's grace, God's love, God's power, healing, hope, hope in the dark, hope in the storm, hope whispers, in Christ alone, Jesus lives, knowing God, nature photos, nature retreat, resting in God's love, we have a living hope, when the journey is too great

“Hope is the silver shaft of sun breaking through the storm-darkened sky, words of comfort in the intensive care unit, the first spring bird perched on a snow-covered twig, and the finish line in sight. It is a rainbow, a song, a loving touch. Hope is knowing God and resting in His love.”
~ NLT Life Application Study Bible: Zephaniah introduction

We Have a Living Hope

So many are feeling hopeless and seeking for hope that I’m not surprised that the two posts read the most this month are about the hope that is still alive for us.

🦋 Hope is Still Alive Because Jesus Lives!

🦋 How the Sand Dollar Points to Hope, Love, and Peace

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!
In His great mercy He has given us new birth
into a living hope through the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
1 Peter 1:3

God’s Whispers of Love

Are your hearts sometimes sinking in the mire of despair?
Are you feeling forsaken by God?
God whispered this to my heart and He is whispering it to all of us!
(Is Life’s Journey Too Great For You?)

My precious child,

I’m still the same God today.

I was there for Elijah

And I am here for you.

Arise and eat, My child.

The journey is too great for you.

Eat the manna of My love

Drink My life-giving water

Relax in the arms of My grace,

My power and My will.

And you will find rest

For mind, body, and soul.

I hold you, My child,

In the arms of My everlasting love,

No lies can snatch you away from Me.

You are safe with Me.

Marvelously made and enough.

Ssshhh…

Be still, My child, be still.

Be encouraged

You don’t have to journey alone.

Rest in My Truth,

And I will refresh your weary soul.

Nature Retreat

” I love to think of nature
as an unlimited broadcasting station,
through which God speaks to us
every hour, if we will only tune in.”
~ George Washington Carver ~

I was looking through Shutterfly at some old photos and found ones from our 2013 trip to the Black Hills. Such beautiful views bring back memorable quiet moments of awe. It’s a comfort to know that the same God who has such power to create such beauty will also take care of us. 🙂

March Hope Whispers

March 29, 2022 Trudy Den Hoed abuse, be free in Jesus, butterflies, comfort, doubts, encouragement, forgiveness, Freed to Fly, freedom, freeing love, God is with us always, God's grace, God's unfailing love, healing, hope, hope in the darkness, hope is an anchor, hope when it hurts, hope whispers, hopelessness, loss, nature retreat, our suffering matters to God, pain, sacrificial love, spring breathes hope, struggles, struggling to believe, suffering, troubles, truths that breathe hope, unconditional love, war, your suffering is valid

Truths That Breathe Hope

❤️ God’s Love Faithfully Remains With Us ❤️

“Be strong and courageous.
Do not be afraid or terrified because of them,
for the Lord your God goes with you;
He will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Deuteronomy 31:6 NIV

❤️ God’s Love Graciously Forgives Us ❤️

“In Him we have redemption through His blood,
the forgiveness of sins,
in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.”
Ephesians 1:7 NIV

❤️ God’s Love Fully Frees Us ❤️

“Because of the sacrifice of the Messiah,
His blood poured out on the altar of the Cross,
we’re a free people—free of penalties and punishments
chalked up by all our misdeeds.
And not just barely free, either.
Abundantly free!”
Ephesians 1:7 The Message

“When I’m kicking and screaming
When I struggle believing
God, You are always faithful
No matter what
When my eyes cannot see it
And my heart doesn’t feel it
God, You are always faithful
No matter what
No matter what…”

Spring Breathes Hope

The robins are here! Yes! Even though we’re still having cold days, it’s a sign that breathes life and hope. We so need that in these troubling times, don’t we? What part of spring breathes hope in your heart?

🦋 “And springtime rallies at the touch of the breath of God.” – Unknown

🦋 “Spring is far more than just a changing of seasons; it’s a rebirth of the spirit.” – Toni Sorenson

🦋 “A life without love is like a year without spring.” – Octavian Paler

Our Suffering Matters to God

All the violence, abuse of power, and painful losses in this troubling world is devastating. So many are suffering loss and pain at home and abroad. Because of this, we may tend to beat ourselves up when we murmur over our own troubles and struggles.

Do you ever minimize your own troubles because others have it worse? Do you ever feel selfish when you feel complaints in your heart over your own suffering? This month God used this blog post to remind me our struggles are always valid to Him. And it’s both necessary and healthy to acknowledge and grieve our own suffering. – Your Suffering Is Valid, Even When Others Have It Worse by Shannon.

“I understand what we are trying to do when we play down our troubles because they are small in comparison to what others are experiencing. We’re trying to put things in perspective so we can be grateful, avoid feeling sorry for ourselves, and be compassionate to others. However, I think minimizing our troubles can sometimes be harmful. It leads us to ignore our feelings, which can increase our stress, cause feelings of self-doubt, harm our self-esteem, and heighten our anxiety.”

“We’re not required to choose between acknowledging either our suffering or their suffering; we can acknowledge both our suffering and their suffering.”
Shannon from Of The Hearth

Nature Retreat

“Perhaps the butterfly is proof
that you can go through a great deal of darkness
yet become something beautiful.”
– Beau Taplin –

“Just when the caterpillar
thought the world was over,
it became a butterfly.”
– Chang Tzu –

I’ve been thinking lately of how a butterfly must struggle first to become beautiful and freed to fly. So this month my heart feels nudged to share some of the butterfly photos I took in 2012 at the butterfly house and to remember why I named this site Freed to Fly.

February Hope Whispers

February 28, 2022 Trudy Den Hoed freedom, God delights in us, God is with us through the storms of life, God knows what's best for us, God loves us, God values us, healing, hope, Jesus is the answer, Jesus loves us, love, nature photography, nature retreat, sometimes God says no, victory in Jesus, when it's hard to trust

Truths that Breathe Hope

❤️ GOD Values Us ❤️

“Look at the birds.
They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns,
for your heavenly Father feeds them.
And aren’t you far more valuable to Him than they are?”
~ Matthew 6:26 NLT ~

❤️ God Doesn’t Merely Tolerate Us; He Delights In Us ❤️

“For the Lord delights in His people.”
~ Psalm 149:4a NLT ~

❤️ Victory Is Already Ours Through Jesus ❤️

“Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love?
Does it mean He no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity,
or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger,
or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say,
“For Your sake we are killed every day;
we are being slaughtered like sheep.”)
No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory
is ours through Christ, who loved us.”
~ Romans 8:35-37 NLT ~

Sometimes God Says No

🦋 “What if God’s ‘NO,’ is really a gift? His way to protect us from what we cannot see, provide something better than we can imagine, or be part of the process of growing us closer to Him.” – Lysa TerKeurst

🦋 “The key is you have to trust that God only has the best in store for you. If God says no to something, He says yes to something even greater. It is when you fully surrender all of your desires to His will that His perfect will is done.” – Nick Vujicic

🦋 “I know now, Lord, why You utter no answer. You are Yourself the answer. Before Your face questions die away. What other answers would suffice?” – C.S. Lewis