One of the worst things about pain and hurt is that it leaves us hopeless. We fear that we will never be loved in the way we long to feel loved-the way God has created us to be loved. We fear we will never be able to love someone else the way we were made to love. We worry that the pain will never go away, and that we will always hurt the way we do now. We feel utterly alone, like there is no one who fully understands our pain. To find hope is to open our eyes and look for a reason to live. Even when those reasons seem slim and are hard to find, we look for them! We look for the kind of hope Job spoke of after facing innumerable sufferings and calling out to God in the mist of them, "Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him" (Job 13:15). Hope that things can get better. Hope that we will be loved. Hope that we will be able to love again. Hope that we can be happy. Hope that we can trust others and not be punished for doing so.
Brokenness reminds me that I cannot make it on my own...too often it is only in the face of failure or loss that I am reminded of my complete and utter need for God. Brokenness forces me to give up the fantasy that I am in control, and makes me acknowledge the truth of God's sovereignty and place my Faith in his goodness- even when my life feels like its falling apart.
A Time to Begin
Each of us has a message to share, a collaboration of random thoughts, a collection of epiphanies, a portrait of our soul. The artisit within me yearns to translate the beauty and wisdom I see around me into creative expression...At times maybe I'll feel inspired to use this method as just another way to express certain ideas that have churned in my mind...but I'd also love to share insights that have been imparted to me from some other source. If you feel so inclined, I would welcome you to share in my pondering. And per chance, if it should speak to your heart in any way, then it has served a noble purpose beyond my greatest hopes.
The Reason for HOPE
Some time ago, I felt such a magnetism to this concept of hope. It so impressed upon me that I wanted to write about it and solidify these thoughts. They served as a cornerstone to stand on, a catalyst for forward motion. I truly felt that God placed a selection of verses into my mind and heart, revolving around hope, that I couldn't keep within me. They have been used in a powerful way in my life, yet my understanding about them was not complete. For example in Romans 5, Paul professes ..."and hope does not disappoint us..." yet when I considered what the popular view of hope looks like, this verse could be such a contradiction. Surely, according to the world's view, hope is a grasp at some wish that we desire to become true yet have no reassurance of coming into fulfillment. An amazing thing was made clear to me after a discussion I had with members of my small group. The hope we have as Christians is not an uncertainty but a conviction of those things that God has already promised us. His promises are given to us as a deposit in our hearts. This is the beauty of the Hope we have in Christ. We do not have to grieve like the hopeless and brokenhearted, because we know with absolute certainty that we have direct contact with the creator of the universe, who promises to be actively engaged in our lives, to never leave us or forsake us, and to finally experience eternity with him. Speaking plainly, I hate to be disappointed. And though it is inevitable in a striving humanity, the hope of Jesus is counter-cultural. It will never disappoint.
Friday, September 5, 2008
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