Tag: hope

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Hope for Renewal

Yesterday I ended up making a trip to the Doctor’s office.  I can say with some certainty that this getting older stuff is for the birds.  I would tell you the results of my visit, but because of HIPPA regulations, I am not free to share with you :).  Anyway, after my visit I was reminded of this verse about the creation:

20Meanwhile, creation is confused, but not because it wants to be confused. God made it this way in the hope 21that creation would be set free from decay and would share in the glorious freedom of his children. 22We know that all creation is still groaning and is in pain, like a woman about to give birth.Romans 8:20-22

The creation, and its parts, that’s us, are unfortunately in this constant state of decay.  That is not to be depressing or morbid, it’s just the way it is.  Until the Christ comes back the creation and it’s members are continually heading towards disarray , decay and death.

Yuck!

But it is not so with our spirit.  There is hope for renewal

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. 2 Corinthians 5:17 New American Standard Bible (©1995)

And then there is this encouragement from one of my favorite chapters, Romans 8, which happens to be immediately follow the depressing verses above.

23The Spirit makes us sure about what we will be in the future. But now we groan silently, while we wait for God to show that we are his children. This means that our bodies will also be set free. 24And this hope is what saves us. Romans 8:23-24

So, today, despite the junk that your physical body may be dealing with and the groaning ( oh I am going to be a bad old person), remember that we will be set free from those bounds one day and made new.

That’s something nice to hope for.

(Now, if I can just get this body of mine out of this chair!)

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Hope

As you know lots of time I recount my experiences and conversations to generate object lessons and thoughts. Once again today I will extract one little conversation from yesterday day full of technology talk to find one nugget that maybe can provide you some insight.

In conversation yesterday one of my co workers used the word ‘hope’ when they were discussing the outcome of a project that none of us had any control over. He inferred that he hoped that it would end in the direction he thought we should be going. Nothing wrong with that! However, that word hope just stuck in my head and stayed there the rest of the day.

I started thinking of the things I have hoped for – my flight to be ontime, to win the $312 M powerball, that the Mountaineers would be in the Final Four. Hm.. Nice things, but nothing that really had any merit, or real impact on me regardless of the outcome – especially since I had not even bought a Powerball ticket!

So, today, I ask you ( and myself). What are you hoping for? What are you really hoping for?

 7 “But now, Lord, what do I look for?
   My hope is in you. (Psalm 39:7, New International Version, ©2011)

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Plodding Along

So yesterday I mentioned the way those kids where plodding through the corn maze, like they were on some mission.  They were marching down the rows of corn, plodding, always moving forward, but really to what end.  As I trailed that last girl, I wandered to myself, ‘wow, this feels like a microcosm of my life’.

Have you ever felt that way.  Plodding, get up, work, practices, homework, bills, sleep, and tomorrow – do it again!  It’s very easy to get in this march of life.  Down through the corn maze – up on the rat race, plodding, moving, but never really getting anywhere.

2 “Meaningless! Meaningless!”
says the Teacher.
“Utterly meaningless!
Everything is meaningless.”

3 What does man gain from all his labor
at which he toils under the sun?  Ecclesiastes 1:2-3 (New International Version)

oh yes, depressing, meaningless.  So here he are sojourners, navigating the corn maze, plodding forward, never looking back, but  to what end.   Well, check out Psalm 39.  David says

4 “Show me, O LORD, my life’s end
and the number of my days;
let me know how fleeting is my life.

He asks God to make it very clear to him that we are plodding along frail, like a vapor, so that He would place his Hope in  God alone.

7 “But now, Lord, what do I look for?
My hope is in you.

And then he ends the Psalm by crying out and stating the he is just a traveling, traveling with God.

12 “Hear my prayer, O LORD,
listen to my cry for help;
be not deaf to my weeping.
For I dwell with you as an alien,
a stranger, as all my fathers were.

I personally find some strength there in knowing that this feeling of vanity is normal, and it has a purpose – to send me searching for my Creator.  So I will continuing the plodding, but not aimlessly.  Oh sure, my days will be filled with vanity and worthlessness, as yours will be. However, there is a hope that will bring comfort to my days when I look for him through the maze.

3 Oh, send out Your light and Your truth!
Let them lead me;
(Psalm 43:3a, New King James Version)

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Midnight Runner

Last night at 10:15 I decided that it was time for me to go on a 3 mile run.  I was not able to ‘get my run in’ earlier in the day and it was still over 80 degrees outside.  So while the eldest was finished up Algebra homework and the other two were reading themselves to sleep in bed off I went into the black night.  (From a training perspective this was a big move for me – having to get the mileage in, as just a month ago I would have just grabbed a bowl of ice cream and plopped in front of the good old tele!”)

So off I went into the night down the street.  It’s been a long time since I had run in the dark and it always seems that the darkness at 11pm is darker then the darkness at 6am.  Not sure why, but it seemed a whole lot darker and more ominous then when I run in the mornings.  Anyway, on with the story and away from boring not needed details like this sentence.  I noticed that I really could not see the road in front of me, outside of the few times I crossed the path of a street light or a porch light.  The rest of the time, I was just running in the general direction of the road towards the lights I could see in the distance.

It struck me how much this is like life.  We spend so many parts of our life not really sure of the road we are on, not able to clearly see what lies right in front of us, but we continue pushing onward, towards the light, towards the hope that lies out there, trusting that the road will be there.

I have recently added a few Fireflight songs to my playlist and this reminds me of the lyrics of their song Unbreakable

Sometimes it’s hard to just keep going
But faith is moving without knowing
Can I trust what I can’t see to reach my destiny?

and later in the song

Forget the fear it’s just a crutch
That tries to hold you back
And turn your dreams to dust
All you need to do is just trust

Even as I approached my house I could see the faint outline of the porch light reflecting off my mailbox, but I could not make out the house, or bushes around it.  I was hoping there was not a huge coyote or man eating night stalking creature in the shadows.

But that’s us.  Pushing forward, trusting, moving with faith, uncertain of  the road, but certain of the destination.

13May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 (New International Version)

Keep your focus today!  Stay strong, and keep running!

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Spread Hope

I love Facebook.  Now its not because I want to see what people had for dinner last night.  It’s because in between in the “I’m Bored” and the “I just had the best vacation in the world, eat it sucker!” posts, you can find the heart of people.  Last night, one of my college friends posted a link to a video, that I highly recommend that you watch:

This guy Nick Vujicic was born with no arms and no legs, but yet has a love for life that’s absolutely incredible.  I found myself last night and this morning watching his talks on You Tube in amazement.  How could someone with that bad of life get back up?  Well, as he tells in his video’s and on his website, it wasn’t easy.  But once we realized that God had a plan for him and that God was going to use his brokenness to reach people for Him, his life turned around.

God is using his brokenness to reach others that are broken and to turn them around, and to provide hope.  What’s amazing is that’s how He seems to work.  He brings messages of hope and peace from the lowliest places.

Mr Vujicic sells a shirt on his site with this quote from St. Francis of Assisi

“Let me sow LOVE where there is HATRED.”
“Let me be HOPE where there is DESPAIR.”

So today, let this man with a broken body inspire you.  Let him remind you that God will use you, when you let him.  Let him take your brokenness and turn it into a mighty work!  Reach out and impact those around you today.

37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. Romans 8:37