HOPE

This word holds weight. It’s heavy. It’s good&bad, lost&found, scary&bold. I don’t know about you, but my day can carry so much promise and great expectation one moment and in the next crash into disappointment and despair. Hope: it’s a loaded emotion, statement, proclamation. It can be spoken and felt with true belief or with almost a begging-you have nothing else to hold on to. It brings joy, anticipation, giddiness and at other times tears and frantic prayers.

Hope lies in the simplicity of trusting the sun will rise tomorrow.

Hope is conceived in the expectation of goodness.

Hope is birthed in the daring to believe that there is goodness despite the painfully dreadful things in this life.

Hope grows in the faith that there is a season for everything.

If Minnesota has taught me anything, it is the truth of Ecclesiastes 3. I get to experience and delight in the absolute authenticity that seasons are legit. California family and friends, this is a public service announcement: There are four seasons to every year. These include Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall. I guess I kinda knew this, but not really. I mean, I did see my first icicle on our drive here. One day we were out and one of the kids asked what the temperature was and I answered, “It’s not very many degrees.”. It has become a common phrase in our house. But you see, this too shall pass. Another common phrase that people say to comfort us or encourage us, but ultimately just makes us even more angry about the too that we are currently in. And how do you know this will pass? I’m suppose to just hope it will maybe someday? This is not the hope I’m talking about, but the hope I think the majority of us feel most of the time when we have been hoping for something so long we think the longing won’t pass and the season won’t change.

Hope, it’s loaded – like a gun. Assurance of protection or angst of harm. Blissful hope turns quickly to anxious hope as though our feelings will determine the outcome.

Here’s the danger of relying on feelings instead of truth. Hardest. Thing. Ever. I don’t know about you but my emotions can be large and in charge when I allow. I have to remind myself that I allow that. I am not saying feelings and emotions are not real. They are definitely, most assuredly, legitimately, utterly, wholly, absolutely, without doubt – for real. With that being said, they are not always true.

To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven. -Ecclesiastes 3:1

Not much emotion to this. Just the straight up truth. When we read further down, here comes all the feelings…

But in the end, does it really make a difference what anyone does? I’ve had a good look at what God has given us to do – busywork, mostly. True, God made everything beautiful in itself and in it’s time – but He’s left us in the dark, so we can never know what God is up to, whether He’s coming or going. I’ve decided that there’s nothing better to do than go ahead and have a good time and get the most we can out of life. That’s it – eat, drink, and make the most of your job. It’s God’s gift. I’ve also concluded that whatever God does, that’s the way it’s going to be, always. No addition, no subtraction. God’s done it and that’s it. That’s so we’ll quit asking questions and simply worship in holy fear. Whatever was, is. Whatever will be, is. That’s how it always is with God. -Ecclesiastes 3:9-15 (MSG)

Let me share why this brings me so much peace and joy. God just wants us to hope in Him. Here’s the deal: life is what life is. There’s no way around this. Yes, we have choices that get us to where we are going, but so much is not in our choices, it’s in our hope. God has given us a gift and it’s called celebration. He’s given us this gift in every single season we will ever be in. Good, bad or indifferent we have a choice to receive this gift. We get to have a good time and make the most out of life. Laugh, eat, drink, and simply worship Him because He loves you. This is hope. Spring time will come. Winter does not last forever. But in winter, we can eat yummy warm soup and drink hot cocoa after a victorious snowball fight!