(For Miscellaneous Monday and for anybody who’s been to scared to hope in the face of pain or loss.)
Embracing every moment makes sense to me.
And I don’t just mean the obvious ones like your acceptance speech for that award you’ve been dreaming about.
I’m talking about the moments leading up to the award. You know, that in between time where you don’t know what’s going to happen, but you’re hoping for something good.
Sometimes I think we shy away from those moments. To embrace them could mean that your heart might be hurt. Cause it’s much easier to not be so upset if your nemesis walks off with your trophy when you haven’t already made a place for it on your mantle.
So we don’t hope.
We don’t let ourselves go down that road.
We…keep our options open, stay in reality, and keep things in perspective. Sure maybe we hope a little. We “safe-hope.” That’s the kind that’s more of a sure bet than an all-out test of our character. It’s the explainable kind. The kind that sits next to a bookie and makes him put his pen down.
But what do we miss when we do that?
A busted heart?
Unanswerable questions?
Failure?
Or maybe there’s something else we’re missing when we play it safe with hope.
Maybe we miss getting to be part of the answer, seeing a miracle, or taking one step closer to God.
I understand the fear of hope.
When hope disappoints us too many times, we not only have to deal with loss, but with a sick heart that leads us away from life. That kind of discouragement can destroy faith instead of instill it. “Hope deferred makes the hearts sick. But a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.” Proverbs 13:12.
So we don’t hope because we fear.
We fear losing the little bit of faith with have. We fear that the almighty God of the universe will say no or nothing at all, and what would that mean?
Where would that put God in the picture that we have of him? He’s supposed to love us, be powerful, care. What does it mean for us when our loved one dies or moves out, and we’re left all alone? How could a loving father let that happen?
God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-loving.
He can heal a sick child, repair a broken marriage, move you into the perfect job, and open blinded eyes, blinded hearts, and blinded dreams. And he can do more than you can ask or imagine. So why not hope in him? Why not fall on him with careless abandon?
Why not?
Are we scared he will fail us?
That, my sweet friends, is not possible.
He will never fail you. And when you see that, when it makes sense to you and your heart dreams a little bigger, then you will also see there’s no need to be afraid to hope because the answers that come are wrapped up in love and will take you into a life of which you haven’t even dared to dream.
“And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” Romans 5:5
Thank you again, Mary Beth. You (again) wrote exactly what I needed to hear today. I am definitely in that “between time where you don’t know what’s going to happen, but you’re hoping for something good.” I want to trust, I want to hope, I want to expect good things. Thanks for the encouragement.
May God wrap his arms around you in this part of your journey!