Faith — Stylin' Granny Mama

There are things weighing on me this morning. Life is heavy at times and I know I am not alone in saying, i wonder when and if it will get better. This is not the first time I have addressed the idea of hope on this blog. You can see my original post titled, Elusive Hope, here.

For some reason the idea of hope has been coming to the forefront more and more. Maybe it is the pandemic and how everyone is hoping for the day it will be over, and we will be able to return to a more normal life. It could also be the state of our world, and our country. There is so much unrest, hatred, and uncertainty. You might be personally struggling with a health issue, a job loss, the death of a loved one, a divorce, mental illness or abuse. When we really start thinking about the bad stuff we can easily get overwhelmed. Is it any wonder that so many people are on anti-anxiety meds and pain killers. How do we have hope when our desires have been crushed beneath the waves of disappointment? How do we keep the light of hope alive when the darkness is so dark?

Revisit Sunday, and look for the buds!

When I say revisit Sunday, I am referring to this past Sunday when we celebrated Easter. As I posted last week, the death of Christ had to happen as payment for our sins, but without the resurrection, the payment would have been meaningless. The resurrection is the event that gives us hope. Let’s look at a few scriptures.

“1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
2 through whom we also have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we celebrate in hope of the glory of God.
3 And not only this, but we also celebrate in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance;
4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope;
5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

— Romans 5:1-5 (NASB)

This passage talks about the peace we have with God, through Jesus Christ. It also talks about hope. Note verse 2 says, “…and we celebrate in hope of the glory of God.” In this verse it says that our hope is in the future glory of God. What good does that do us now? Keep reading. Verse 3 says, “And not only this, but we also celebrate in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance;” As it blends into verse 4 it continues, “and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope;”. The fact that one thing leads to another is obvious in how the sentence is put together. Tribulations and troubles, bring about perseverance and perseverance brings about character, and character, brings about hope. We can conclude from those verses that hope does not happen on it’s own. It comes about when we place our faith in Jesus Christ. From there we struggle, persevere and become more godly. This is where true hope happens.

However, the passage goes on. Verse 5 confirms, “and this hope does not disappoint.” Why doesn’t it disappoint? This hope is not grounded in those things we wish for, which change just as frequently as the weather in the midwest. This hope is grounded in the love of God which is poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit.

Let’s go back to buds. As my heart was feeling somewhat heavy this morning, I noticed as I was driving back from dropping my grandson off at school, the trees were in full bud. There are not actual leaves or flowers on the trees yet, but there are definitely visible buds. It suddenly struck me, that just as the trees reliably bud again each spring, God’s love is always blooming in my heart. I may not feel that it is there. I may not feel like there is hope, but hope is not a feeling. Hope is a fact. Hope in God is just as reliably true as my hope in spring returning again; in fact, more so.

Image by For commercial use, some photos need attention. from Pixabay

Hope is a bud. It is a kernel of life, just waiting to open and spread its beautiful fragrance for all to smell. Hope is just as present in the hospice room as it is in the birthing room. Hope is not elusive, it is certain. This hope is in the Lord.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,”

— I Peter 1:3 (NASB)

Elusive hope.

A rainbow, seen, real, but untouchable.

The bow in the sky, bordered by storms and darkness, gives us pause.

A reminder that He was with us, from the beginning.

A reminder that no matter how bad it gets, this one thing remains...

When the conditions are just right, the rain, the sun, the clouds...

The rainbow.

Sometimes we can see hope, like the bow of colors,

Real, seen, but untouchable.

Yet we are reminded, there is always hope,

Just like there is always a rainbow.

But hope is not based on just the right conditions.

It solely rests in Him.

“My soul, wait in silence for God only,
For my hope is from Him.”

— Psalm 62:5 (NASB)

Lord God, we are your people; the sheep of your pasture. It is in You that we live and breath and have our being. You are the God of all creation and we acknowledge that we are but dust.

But we are Yours and we are struggling. We need hope. Not an elusive hope, like a bow set in the clouds that we cannot hold onto, but a real living, breathing hope.

Give us a hope that we can see, like the night sky filled with stars that have existed ever since creation.

Give us a hope that we can feel, like the ground on which we walk.

Give us a hope that we can hear, like the bird song that is revived every morning.

Give us a hope that we can taste, like biting into a fresh peach, so sweet and juicy it makes our tongue tingle.

That Lord, is the hope I pray for...for the mother who wonders when their child will no longer suffer; for the father who paces the floor wondering where his daughter is; for the couple who believe the embers of their marriage have finally burned out; for the child who thinks the abuse is their fault....Lord give us hope!

(I know I have posted this video before, but once again it seems appropriate. I pray it will give you hope.)