My daughter was given a
gift before we moved back to Idaho. Her close friend gave her a necklace with a
key on it, and on that key was engraved a word. Her friend specifically chose
this word for my daughter, knowing she would have to say good-bye to all her
Georgia friends and move 2500 miles away. This wise friend understood my
daughter would be entering into a new world, interacting with new faces, and
walk down foreign halls of a new high school. It would be strange,
uncomfortable, awkward, and scary in the midst of unknowns.
The word was HOPE. It
wasn’t “courage” or “strength”, but simply put…HOPE.
Leaving Georgia was a very
difficult transition for my fourteen year old. After finishing her first high
school finals and saying good-bye to all her close friends, she climbed in the
car with tears streaming down her cheeks and said, “I can’t do this.”
It feels that way
sometimes.
It reminds me of seasons.
Spring is here, and winter has said good-bye to its friends. The weather
changes, the flowers begin to bloom, and the yards produce new colors.
For me spring brings about new life, new starts, and a renewed hope.
Yet moving from one season
to another may be a difficult journey for some. It may be a season a divorced
young mom was not quite expecting. A new season that leaves the house
empty and quiet after the previous season brought so much activity. Some
may find the new season left behind health. The next season doesn’t always
bring hope.
For some it may feel like
we are stuck in a season that never ends. Winter stays longer than its welcome.
Grief hangs on, and you wonder if the sorrow will ever move on. Depression pops
up again unexpectedly. A mom walks to the treatment center day after day for
months, praying her daughter will accept help and healing. The never ending
meetings with the school to address the same issues that don’t seem to be
resolved. Another negative pregnancy test. A hopeful relationship ends
again. Aging parents who need more of your time. Where will the money come
from?
You wonder if this a season
or just simply your life to accept.
No words would have helped
my daughter feel better about the move as we drove home that day. It was hard
for all of us. I couldn’t change that, but later that day when the
question of “why?” came up again, all I could say was, “We will see why
someday. God knows what He is doing.”
“Through Christ you believe in God, who raised him from the dead
and glorified him,
and so your faith and hope are in God. “
1 Peter 1:21
Often times we don’t have
the strength to keep going nor do we see any courage in ourselves to overcome
the season we are in, BUT because we believe in who God is, we always
have access to HOPE.
The NIV Bible Commentary
makes this distinction:
“Hope is not just wishful thinking;
it’s a firm
conviction,
much like faith that is directed
toward the future.”
I recently asked my
daughter what the word HOPE meant to her now since we’ve made the transition to
Idaho and have begun to settle into our new life. She answered, “The word HOPE
reminds me that God is always there for me and knowing that gives me the
courage to be myself in new changes and opportunities.”
Whatever season we may be
in, my prayer for us is that we will hold on to the key that unlocks our spirit
in the midst of long dark seasons or ever changing ones. On it is engraved the
word HOPE, given to you by your Best Friend and Heavenly Father when He raised
His son from death to life.
With our hope in God we
have the courage to be ourselves, the strength to carry on in whatever season
we are in, and a firm conviction that God is always there for us.
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| This Easter weekend is the reason for our HOPE!!! |
