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Word of the Week: Hope

August 27, 2014 By Sandra Heska King

cardinal of hope2

 

hope – verb \ˈhōp\

: to desire with expectation of obtainment
: to expect with confidence

hope – noun\ˈhōp\

: desire accompanied by expectation of or belief in fulfillment
: expectation of fulfillment or success
: someone or something on which hopes are centered

____________

 

There was thunder and lightning, and Grace called from her room.

“Nama, I was just saying my prayers. And I asked God to bring Great-Grandma back. And I asked Him to give me a sign that she was coming. And right then there was this big flash. And . . . she’s coming back!”

No, Grace. That really was just a coincidence. Great-Grandma’s not coming back. She’s in heaven, and she’s happy, and she doesn’t hurt any more. But we’ll get to see her again one day.

“No, Nama. He gave me a sign. She’s coming back.”

How do I argue with that?

Will her faith falter because of a flash of disappointment?

Will her hope hover on the fringe of hallelujah and then fade?

Maybe this morning she’s forgotten and moved on.

But how often do dashed hopes and dreams wound our faith and paralyze us?

We can choose to walk on and trust God to work all things together for good.

Or we can throw down our mat and camp out on the edge of discouragement, on the edge of I-Feel-Sorry-for-Myself Land, and dwell in depression and despair.

We can hang around the edge of the water waiting for someone else to stir things up, someone else to carry us, someone else to raise our hope.

Does God even see us?

One man plopped down (John 5) by the water in the house of mercy. He hung out hopeless for 38 years. Since before Jesus was born.

And Jesus saw him. Fixed His eyes on him out of all the hundreds and asked him if he wanted to get well.

The man didn’t answer, “Oh, yes, please. Could you help me? Could you wait with me until the water moves and carry me in?”

Instead, he whined to the Living Water about not having anyone to put him in the water. He fixed his eyes on others and what they weren’t doing.

Did he find some comfort in his paralysis? Did he see himself as a victim?

He didn’t ask for healing. Did he even want it? Really? Did he find some satisfaction in being needy?

But Jesus in His mercy poured hope over him anyway. “Get up and walk.”

Don’t lie there any more feeling sorry for yourself. Get your act together. Feel my strength flow through you. Get up and move on with your life.

It wasn’t faith that healed him.

It was mercy and grace and compassion.

We all experience disabilities and challenges and limitations and injustice and pain.

Thunder times and dark days.

Grief.

False signs of hope.

No signs of hope.

We can plop down on our mat and remain paralyzed with our problems, disappointed with life.

Or we can rise up and walk.

We can pass by.

Or we can bend down and help another walk.

Carry them if need be.

Pick up the corner of their mat. 

We can all choose our focus.

Hopefully we’ll choose hope

Because hope does not disappoint.

 

hope

 

Word Count: 496

In the stillness,

Sandy

With Charity and Holley

In Your Own Words

Resurrected from the archives and refurbished.

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Comments

  1. Dolly@Soulstops says

    August 27, 2014 at 11:25 am

    Sandy,
    SO thankful for God’s grace and compassion ….and because He showed it on the cross and again & again in the Scriptures and in others and my own life….I can have hope…blessings to you and your family today 🙂

    • Sandra Heska King says

      August 30, 2014 at 6:57 am

      Over and over and over. All we have to do sometimes is look backward in order to see forward. Hoping with you, Dolly.

  2. Kim says

    August 27, 2014 at 4:18 pm

    Smiling… Our Priest has been doing a summer sermon series on the Questions of Jesus. This was our sermon 2 weeks ago. “Do You Want to Be Made Well?” They are recorded, if interested. I am not too tech savy, hope this works. http://stjosephsmcdonough.org/page/do_you_want_to_be_made_well
    Thanks for your thoughts.

    • Sandra Heska King says

      August 30, 2014 at 7:06 am

      That’s crazy! 🙂

      The link worked fine. Thanks so much, Kim. I’m listening right now.

  3. Martha Orlando says

    August 28, 2014 at 10:38 am

    Choosing this day to pick up my mat and walk with God. Beautifully written, Sandy! Blessings!

    • Sandra Heska King says

      August 30, 2014 at 7:07 am

      Walking with you, Martha.

  4. Lynn Mosher says

    August 28, 2014 at 10:42 am

    Hope most certainly must be God’s word of the week. I wrote on hope on Monday, Cord of Hope. I love it when God does that! And I loved this, Sandy. Hope seems to be waning all around us. But Christ is that permanent hope within us, our hope of glory! Love your precious heart! <3

    • Sandra Heska King says

      August 30, 2014 at 7:07 am

      Thinking we’re all needing an extra dose of hope these days, Lynn. Swinging by your place now. 🙂

  5. Heather @ My Overflowing Cup says

    August 28, 2014 at 12:45 pm

    I love this post! Hope is one of my favorite words. With respect to losing faith when things don’t turn out as we hope, I try to put my hope in knowing that God knows what is best, not me. I love how you tied the story in with your message. Yes, we need to get up and carry our mats because the hope of Him is there where we can see it or not. Beautiful! Thank you!

    • Sandra Heska King says

      August 30, 2014 at 8:17 pm

      Thanks so much, Heather. Remembering that hope never disappoints… even when things i this life don’t always turn out the way we hope. 😉

  6. Kelly Greer says

    August 28, 2014 at 3:43 pm

    Choosing hope with you Sandra. Your words put feet to my journey. Thank you sister.

    • Sandra Heska King says

      August 30, 2014 at 8:18 pm

      Sending hugs, my friend.

  7. Barbie says

    August 31, 2014 at 2:41 am

    Hope never disappoints. Blessings!

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