Have you ever felt hesitant to hope for something better, afraid it might not work out? Maybe the last few seasons have left you cautious, unsure if getting your hopes up is even worth it. But what if I told you that hope—real, grounded, unshakable hope—can transform the way you see your future? What if it’s the very thing that could change your next season, your new year, and even your life? Let’s talk about why it’s time to get your hopes up again.
I’m opening up about what it looks like to hope again, even when it feels risky. As I prepare for my upcoming home birth, I share my personal journey of navigating fears and releasing control, finding peace in God’s promises. Together, we’ll explore practical ways to reset your mindset, protect your peace, and embrace joyful expectations. Life is too precious to live in fear—let’s get our hopes up and step into the goodness waiting for us in the next season!
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I’ve been reflecting a lot lately, especially as I prepare to welcome another baby early next year. Some of you know about my previous birth experience with my son Abel. It wasn’t what I’d hoped for—a planned home birth turned into an induction at 42 weeks.
What if this birth doesn’t go the way I plan it?
How do I prepare my heart for the unknown?
Am I holding onto fears from past experiences that I need to release to embrace this new chapter?
What happens if I get my hopes up?
Last week, my midwife challenged me to start envisioning my birth. And, l’ll be honest, as hopeful of a person as I am, it is something that has come from a lot of hurt and pain. I’ve learned how to turn things around, but it doesn’t just happen.
That experience left me with all the fears I knew looking me square in the eye, but as I look ahead to another home birth, instead, I’m choosing hope.
It’s not about ignoring the risks or pretending everything will be perfect. It’s about trusting that God’s plans are good, even when they don’t look the way we expect. Holding onto that truth has given me peace in this season—and I hope it encourages you, too.
Practical Steps for Cultivating Joyful Expectation
Let’s talk about how we can shift our mindset toward joyful expectation for the new year or your next season. Here are five practical ways to prepare your heart and mind for 2025.
Focus on Things Above
Have you ever had one of those moments that felt really tough, but you laughed to keep yourself from crying? I think we’ve all been there.
I heard a simple practice recently that I love: When a situation feels overwhelming, say out loud, 'This is good,' even if you don’t fully believe it yet. It helps redirect your thoughts to look for the good. And, it also reminds me of the old hymn that goes “When peace like a river, attendeth my wayWhen sorrows like sea billows rollWhatever my lot, thou hast taught me to sayIt is well, it is well, with my soulIt is wellWith my soulIt is well, it is well with my soul”
So when I get stopped at every red light on the way to an appointment with 3 kids and I'm running late, instead of losing my cool, I now chuckle to myself and say “This is good”
Start by grounding your thoughts in truth. Verses like Jeremiah 29:11—”For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”—This reminds us that God’s plans are good.
Mindset Reset: What You Seek, You’ll Find
Have you ever noticed that once you start looking for something—like a yellow car—you see it everywhere? That’s the power of focus or the law of attraction.
Instead of bracing for what might go wrong, intentionally look for the blessings in each day. Make it a habit to write down one thing you’re excited about and looking forward to each day. Draw the good to you!
It’s amazing how joy finds you when you’re looking for it—even in a day of wiping stinky butts and reheating your fresh breakfast for the 3rd time.
Take Every Thought Captive
We all know one of those people- the ones who suffer from stinking thinking. When you’re around them, they drain you. Every conversation just makes you feel heavy. I want to encourage you that while there is a time and a place to sort out the reality of negative things, we don’t want to live in that place.
One of my all time favorite scriptures is 2 Corinthians 10:5. It says to “take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ.” When fear or negativity creeps in, challenge those thoughts.
Our minds are constantly trying to find proof- to prove our own thoughts and beliefs, it’s a form of survival. We will seek out ways to prove we are right or wrong, so if we have a thought, we will find proof to convince ourselves that the “what if” scenarios we are playing out in our mind will come to fruition- whether they are good or bad, to make that thought we have correct. This is called “coming into agreement”. And when you come into agreement with a thought, you start believing it and living it out in your life.
If instead of taking on negative mindsets, we make it a habit to find a promise God has already declared over our lives in scripture and come into agreement with those things that are righteous and holy or remind ourselves of God’s past faithfulness, we will transform our worried nature into a place of hope.
Protect Your Peace
Ok let’s talk about- Boundaries are a must to cultivating joy in your life. Boundaries are good. They are healthy. They like gates. Imagine that your life is protected by a fence. It’s necessary to keep out anything that you don’t need or want in your life. However boundaries are more like a gate- where you control who and what comes in or out and when. You are in control. We often don’t realize it or just seem to overlook it but we are in control over our peace. No matter what circumstances or challenges we face in life come at us, we are ultimately responsible for how we respond and how far we allow it to affect us. I urge you to protect your peace, at all costs- this includes family members, friendships, and relationships that are costing us our peace- I”ll talk more on this in a future episode.
Here are some things we need good healthy boundaries in that we sometimes shrug off, normalize and without realizing it come into agreement with simply by exposure to negativity—it’s who we are allowing into our lives by consuming what’s in front of us whether it’s social media, the news, tv shows, or even podcasts. I know a lot of people who suffer from paranoia simply because of the things they are scrolling through, exposing their minds and letting that doom set in.
Instead, you can simply replace these things with uplifting themes: worship music, encouraging podcasts, or a good book. And for my true crime fans... maybe save those binges for another season! Haha no judgment!
Release Control
Lastly, surrender your plans to God. Proverbs 16:3 says, “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and He will establish your plans.”
Ultimately trusting Him with the unknown opens the door for peace and allows you to embrace the present moment fully. It’s also a much lighter burden to carry when we remind ourselves God is in control, instead of trying to figure it out all on our own!
Surrender your plans to God, whether it’s a big event or just bedtime. His plans might include beautiful chaos—but that’s where joy often hides, if we remind ourselves what truly matters and that ultimately, we don’t need to control everything- preaching to the choir on this one, friends!
I want to challenge you to journal about areas where you’re holding too tightly and ask God to help you trust His timing. Use reminders like sticky notes or alarms labeled “Let it go” to practice this discipline consistently.
I want you to know, I’m sitting in this with you. I’m walking through the valley of doubt and disappointment. I talk about joy a lot, but it’s because I'm constantly seeking it, to find it because my life has not been easy. It’s been filled with challenging things like the loss of a child, a husband, and situations that are constantly out of my control.
Here’s the thing…. I could go into this birth thinking about all the ways it could go wrong, again, and I would find a million reasons to live in fear, but I’m reminding myself daily, even moment by moment, that God is not out to harm me and instead He is a good good father and He wants good for me. Ultimately He loves me and will protect me, regardless of the outcome. So, I minds well spend my time getting my hopes up, looking for the goodness and not living in fear and panic, but reminding myself that peace and joy are mine for the taking.
Friend, I don’t know what circumstances you're facing now or in the coming season, but I do know the same is true for you. Remind yourself “this is good”, start focusing your attention on what is good, take those negative thoughts captive and bring them into alignment with what the Lord says, protect yourself- you’re the gate keeper of your mind, and release the weight and burden of control back to Him.
If this episode resonates with you, I’d love for you to join me for the Joyful Life Workshop.
The doors are officially open!!! In this workshop, I’ll walk through my Joyful Life Goal Planner.
I’ve crafted a step-by-step process to help you start your year with a fresh outlook. This three-part series is all about creating a vision for your life that’s rooted in hope, intention, and purpose. I will walk you through the steps to rest and reflect, refresh your values and vision for the coming season, and get ready to embrace your next season, in the new year. And, the best part is that you can do this practice over and over, as many times as you like. By the end of this workshop, you will have a vision for the next 12 months, 3 years, 5 years, and beyond. You will know how to align your daily choices to your goals to help you achieve the life you have yet to live!
You’ll be creating healthy boundaries for yourself, know exactly how to create joy in your life, and live with joyful expectations- to get your hopes up! I promise you, you will return to this year after year, season after season and you’ll be ready to embrace all the goodness that’s coming your way. Details are in the show notes—I hope to see you there!
Access the Joyful Life Workshop now!
I want to leave you with this one verse: Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8
Let’s get our hopes up, friends!
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Thanks so much for stopping by! We so enjoy sharing our life alongside you. We are so grateful to each of you reading and being a part of our life and our story! We hope to be part of yours, too! And, we'd love to connect.
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With joy,
Lauren Alonso
topics and tags: hope and faith, how to get your hopes up, mindset reset, trusting God’s plan, Christian encouragement, joyful expectations, overcoming fear, Christian podcast, positive mindset tips, trusting God in hard times, finding joy in every season, hope in difficult seasons, renewing your mind, biblical encouragement, Christian goal setting, practical faith steps, joy-filled life, spiritual growth tips, Philippians 4:8 reflection, navigating challenges with faith