Hope Comes

Hope comes in the dawn. Twilight awakened colors cast across an infinite sky.

Hope comes in a smile. Eyes alight, direct to my soul.

Hope comes in the laughter. Unreserved, free, joy made audible.

Hope comes in the breeze. Refreshing reminders of the Unseen at work.

Hope come in the mirror. Intent upon my eyes, seeking courage.

Hope comes in footsteps. An infant toddling into uncertainty with abandon.

Hope comes in a song. Harmony and unity together lifting us to Glory.

Hope comes in sunset. Crepuscule cool that hastens welcome rest.

Hope comes in discovery. Who knew until it was tried.

Hope comes in change. Scary resisted becomes liberation embraced.

Hope comes. A respite from dreaded thoughts, disabling anxiety, and paralyzing fear.

Hope comes. A gift from the Giver of all good things, the Lover of my soul.

I can. I will. I am. I will be. In Christ.

Hope comes.

Do The Mountains Hope?

Do the mountains hope?

Majestic. Imperious. Challenging. Immovable. Awesome. Inspiring. All these things and more.

But, do they hope? 

What would a mountain hope for? It’s a mountain. It’s inanimate. But, if it had hopes, what would they be?

To stretch taller? To grow steeper? To hold greater forests? To gaze upon beautiful valleys? To host a ski resort? To be difficult to climb? Or maybe relocate to a new mountain range altogether? If mountains were sentient as humans, they might hope just as we do.

Our hopes arise from our experiences, our desires, and our dreams. Our hopes are influenced by our family, our education, and our personalities. Our hopes are tempered by our realities, our past, and our fears. We all have hopes. We are human. Humans hope.

When we look at our world with a raging pandemic, political division, racial tension, economic concerns, and even greater potential national crises ahead, our fears are real and hopes are challenged. We would do well to recall Psalm 46:2-3.

“Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.”

No matter what—catastrophic geologic calamities included—we won’t fear. Why? Psalm 46:1 gives us the because. 

“God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.”

We don’t fear because of where we put our trust. Not our nation. Not a politician or a party. Not our economy. Not our wits. Not our family or friends. God.

Psalm 25:1-3 adds trust to our hope based on God. It’s a prayer we can offer when we’re fearful of challenged. It holds profound promises for Christ followers. 

“In you, Lord my God,
I put my trust.
I trust in you;
do not let me be put to shame,
nor let my enemies triumph over me.
No one who hopes in you
will ever be put to shame,
but shame will come on those
who are treacherous without cause.”

Sometimes you have to believe in order to see. Sometimes you need faith in order to hope. Psalm 25:4-5 offers us such a prayer.

“Show me your ways, Lord,
teach me your paths.
Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long.”

Do the mountains hope? If so, what do they hope for?

You hope. What is your hope in?

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The Road Ahead

2020 in the rearview mirror.

Yet racial tension, unsettled elections, a partisan populace, and a global pandemics leave us unsettled as we consider the road ahead.

We don’t know where 2021 will take us. We pray the elections will be decided fairly. We pray the vaccines will work, the virus stopped, and lives saved. We pray prejudices will be overcome and love will win. We pray reason will prevail in disagreements and folks will be considerate of one another. We pray that everyone would have someone to trust, someone who loves them for who they are. We pray our nation is peaceful and prosperous. We pray that we find joy and grow in hope. We pray the road ahead will be smoother than what is behind.

What can we do to best travel the road ahead?

Pray. Earnestly. Constantly. For any concern we have. God’s ear is attentive. We will draw us near as we seek Him.

Read. Daily. Thoughtfully. Though broad reading is encouraged, prioritize the Bible. God’s Word reveals His character, His purposes, and His ways.

Love. Fully. Freely. The world needs love in action. Otherish love that is God powered, other focused, and self sacrificing.

Serve. Sacrificially. Regularly. It’s not about you. Others make everything better. Make a difference today and for the days to come.

The road ahead will be better.

On we go.

Together. 

The Present

One present. Just one.

Of all the traditions my family had while I was growing up, there was one I always looked forward to. Each Christmas Eve we were allowed to open a single present from a family member. One present.

Of all the gifts under the tree I knew exactly which one I wanted to open. Wrapped neatly. About one an a half times the size of a deck of cards. From Great Aunt Katherine. She was so proper. Such a lady. Her gift must be really nice.

Other evening activities complete, it was time to open that alluring gift. As the wrapping came off, I read the contents as printed on the box: Male Grooming Kit. A male grooming kit?

Two sizes of nail trimmers. An emory board. A cuticle remover. A comb. And, a shoe horn. My new, male grooming kit. I was nine years old.

Life is like that, isn’t?

We’ve got our expectations. Our preconceived ideas. Our dreams. And then life… Life hands you a male grooming kit. Useful, perchance, but not what you hoped for. 

2020 has been a bit like that male grooming kit. Not the gift we’d have asked for or even welcomed, but it was the year we got. It was the present.

We might grieve the year we didn’t get. The cancelled plans. The disappointments. The special occasions missed. The inconvenience. The separation. The heartache.

But, what did we learn? What good came of all this bad? What hope from all this pain? What love amidst this mess? What has God been after within you through 2020?

God loves you. He works in you. Even if the present feels like a male grooming kit to a nine year old boy.

“For it is God who works within you to will and to act according to his good purpose.”

— Philippians 2:13

In The Waiting Room

You’ve been there. At the hospital. Awaiting a procedure. You know some of what is to come.

If it goes well, I’ll be here overnight. If it is as they expect, I’ll have therapy for a few weeks. If it’s worse than expected, then I may go to a rehabilitation hospital, but we don’t know which one. The bills, yes, those are inevitable, but I wish they came faster.

What you know. What you don’t know. What you hope. What you fear. Each of those guests are with you in the waiting room. 

It feels like our world is in such a waiting room right now, doesn’t it?

We know some about COVID-19. But we hear conflicting reports. We know we should wear masks and social distance. But not everyone feels the same way. We receive updated guidelines from the authorities. But we don’t know when things will get more normal.

Yes, it feels like we’re in the waiting room.

So, what do we do in the meantime? How do we pass our time in the waiting room?

We work, as our job allows. We think, as our minds focus. We hope, as our hearts arise. We pray, as freely as breathing. We talk, as willing with loved ones. We plan, as best we can with what we know today. We live life, as those with a future and a hope.

You can find joy. Doing what you can rather than fighting what you can’t.

Even in the waiting room.