“Hope is a type of kaleidoscope. Through its lens, we can believe the impossible and see what might be. Hope’s hues are rainbow in promise, bringing rays of light into once dark corners.”
I absolutely love this quote! It’s from a book I recently read by Patsy Clairmont, called “All Cracked Up” (which I would highly recommend reading, by the way!). In this chapter, she digs into and explores what hope is. Then she asks reflective questions at the end. One of them in particular “How does hope help our broken hearts?” really got me thinking. It occurred to me, that hope is what pulls us through, whatever it may be that we are struggling with. It gives us something to hold out for. Hope is a like a life preserver that keeps us from sinking or going under, as long as we cling to it.
God knew we needed hope. It is the hope of spring that can carry us through a harsh winter. It is the hope of graduation that can pull one through mountains of papers, long nights of studying, and rigorous tests. The hope of sharing my life and heart with someone who truly cherishes me and loves me for who I am, enables me to hold on through years of waiting and periods of heartache. The hope of making a difference or knowing that you are exactly where God wants you to be, can carry you through dealing with harsh co-workers/customers, or feelings of being overwhelmed and exhausted. It is the hope of eternal life that lifts broken hearts when loved ones have died. And the hope of heaven, where God will wipe away all our tears and where there will be no more death, sorrow, crying or pain (Revelation 21:4), can bring us through one day at a time amidst a world of pain, suffering, heartache and injustice.
So how do we hope? In all honesty, a few weeks ago I had forgotten how. We were reading in my Young Adult Sabbath School about how in essence, God says in Matthew 6: 25-34, “Don’t worry. I’m going to take care of every aspect of your life and future.” In my heart, I wanted to hope and believe that He will. But somehow I just couldn’t. So I talked with the group about it, and we decided to just really level and be honest with God. We each wrote down on a post-it, the things we were worried/stressed about or that were weighing us down and taking away from our joy and quality of life. Then we prayed a simple prayer, saying “Lord, we bring you these things on our hearts. We don’t know how to let them go, and to hope that You will take care of them, but we ask that somehow You’ll take them from us and fill and overwhelm us with Your peace.” AND HE DID!! I had my doubts, and set my expectations low, but He really came through! I was and am still amazed! I can’t explain it, but there were these heavy burdens on my shoulders, and somehow He just lifted them!
Whatever is on your heart, whatever is weighing heavily on your mind, He wants to lift it for you too! He wants to overwhelm you with peace that He is big enough to see to every aspect of what you are facing. He wants to give you hope that He will take care of you in every way, if you will let Him. I challenge you to write down your concerns/burdens and lay them before Him, asking Him to take them from you and fill you with His peace. And I will be praying that He will give you a story to share, about how He comes through for you, as He did for me!
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