Can I have your permission to throw it back even though it’s not Thursday? I didn’t think you’d mind. “Hope Floats” was a popular movie starring Sandra Bullock that was out when I was young (er).:-) In it, a woman finds herself struggling to recover after a devastating and embarrassing divorce.
She reflects on her life a lot when she heads to mamas house to find herself again. Hard times and unpredictable circumstances can cause us to lose ourselves a bit, can’t they? They certainly cause us to wish we didn’t have to live through them.
Reflection is a normal part of our search.
How did I get here? Did I take a wrong turn? Why me? Why Him? How could this happen? You get the search.
Sometimes we find answers and sometimes we don’t. We would be completely destitute if our hope was in answers.
In painful circumstances we have a unique opportunity to trust God more deeply. Unique because we see Him showing Himself in unique ways to those suffering throughout the scriptures. Our enemy would have us stay “beefed” with our Savior because of the “unfairness” of it all. He would love us to turn away and run, as if God will not meet us wherever we run. Our Savior calls us to trust.
He longs for our trust. He longs for our single mindedness. Our single heartedness. (Matthew 22:37) He never promised understanding, He promised grace (2 Corinthians 12:9) and wisdom (James 1:5)
Many times, we have to trust God with the answers we may never get. When I stop chasing understanding, there is space for transformation. Believing, not understanding is our Father’s heart for us. Who can understand the super natural? When I believe Him, I’m able to breath again.
I’m able to get up again.
I’m able to take one step forward again.
Believing what God says in the darkest hour marks a life of REAL HOPE. True hope is found in in Him ALONE.
I know deeply that all of this does not always feel true.
In fact, when I watch my son’s seizures begin while I am praying over him for healing or suffer through an uncontrolled coughing spell on an almost daily basis, I want to quit. Nothing on this side of heaven infuriates this mama more. My faith has never been so challenged as it is in my pain; in my son’s pain. Can you relate?
Fighting-and it is truly a feud for the centuries-to believe the truth when our circumstances seem to contradict it is a wrestling match well worth having. In these battles, truth always wins and anchors our hope.
Here are a couple of helpful definitions for us as we wade through all this “hope” talk.
First, faith. Faith is resting confidence in a promise. Kind of like sitting and resting completely on the object you are now. (your chair, couch, etc) Your full weight is in it. You believe it will hold you up. That’s why you sat in it. Although you have not yet seen the complete promise fulfilled, (you haven’t gotten up from the place of rest yet, so you won’t know until you do) you are resting in it.
Hope is confident expectation of the fulfillment of a promise.
Faith believes the promise.
Hope confidently expects the fulfillment of the promise.
Our hope is only as good as the promise to which it is tied.
What is the promise to which our hope is tied?
The promise of eternal salvation through Jesus Christ (and TONS of other amazing promises God lays out for His children in His word-the Bible). (John 3:16)
From the mouth of God, we have a promise (eh-hem, many promises) that we can confidently expect.
No. Matter. What. Sucker. Punches. Knock. The. Breath. Out. Of. Us. (see how I tried to get you to slow down there…:-))
Hope breaths. Hope moves. Hope lives. Hope anchors.
Not based on some ever changing, unpredictable circumstance, but Based on the promise of God.
Our hope does not float. THANK GOD. There is a lot more in store for us at the end of our movie than a slow dance with a cowboy!
“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” Hebrews 6:19
When hope is REAL…
I live a life full of it.
Cheering you on,
#whenhopeisreal #neverwithouthope
Reflect with me for a few minutes. Are there things in this life, other than Jesus that I have put my hope in? Good things? Bad things? Is my hope in my comfortable circumstances? (great journal writing to do here or you can share in the comments if you’re brave! ;-))
