Hope

November is here and the weather is turning cold. One of the ways my family spends time is taking walks along a path that runs by the local river. It is beautiful seeing the leaves turn color and watching fish occasionally jump, disrupting the smooth surface of the water. My youngest grandchild, one year old, stomps on the leaves giving us an excuse to do the same.                

On this particular day, it has gotten very cold, so my daughter and I head to the mall with grandson in hand. Walking inside proves to be much warmer. Because of the pandemic and downturn in the economy the mall looks very different. The public library is there, closed. The fairly new theater is there, closed. Very few stores are open and many empty store fronts exist. It looked like a tomb. My daughter shared with me that she heard the theater company was going bankrupt. Things looked bleak.                

What I saw with my eyes was desolation. But something incredible began to happen in my heart. A feeling of hope. As I looked around I thought, “What a great celebration it will be when this pandemic is over.” I said to my daughter, “Can you imagine how much celebrating and rejoicing there will be when this thing is over? Can you believe the parties that will take place?” In my mind I could envision balloons, confetti, and something astonishing, the happy faces of people, hugging one another and patting each other on the shoulder. Everyone coming together, glad for the other person. People saying, “We made it! We walked through this difficult time and now here we are. We have a special bond that has come from watching out for each other.” There is a feeling of unity.                

All this happened in a brief moment in my mind. Where did this hope originate? The answer was obvious to me. My faith in God has me time and time again thanking God for planting this hope deep in my heart. It springs up and changes the darkness into light. I have found when I wait for God and trust in the promises He has made to us in The Word, His hope and comfort always arrives. In this so very difficult time, I am amazed at how this hope sets my eyes on not what is before me, but to what God has in store for us.  

Paul the apostle writes in 1 Corinthians 2:9-10  However, as it is written: What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived- the things God has prepared for those who love Him- 10) these are the things God has revealed to us by His Spirit. In that brief moment God lifted me to a place where I felt His joy and peace resulting in hope.  Now this joy and peace has a long lasting effect. I can move through situations with less struggle because I know the joy and peace comes from God. In other words, I feel God’s presence with me. What a comfort it is.

Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians1:1-11 how we are to share this comfort from God to others. It is a gift from God to be handed to others, not tucked away for us only. One person receives hope that then gets sent to another. Verse 3) Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4) who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.  

I read once that when people who go through a trying time together and hold it together for each other, a strong bond is built They are able to laugh at some of the crazy stuff gone past and feel more connected to others having done so. Some of the heroics that have gone on at this time can bring me to tears. The mindset to serve others even at risk to self truly shows the heart of a servant. God is here with us in every situation. Is He revealing Himself to you in a way that could lift another person up? Do you see Him at work in the lives around you? Make Him known to others by acknowledging Him and giving Him the credit. He loves to be talked about!

I would like to finish with the words written by Paul in 2 Corinthians 1:8-11. 8)…We are under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. 9) Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. 10) He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and He will continue to deliver us, 11) as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in the answer to the prayers of many. This hope from God gets handed to someone, who hands it to someone else, who shares it with someone else, like little lights that when put together shines brightly in the world bringing the joy and peace that comes from a compassionate God, uniting us to serve each other in love.