These words are hope-filled. Just read and meditate on them. Why do the radiate hope to us? What phrases are for us the most hope-filled?
This week the commentator spoke of a sycamore tree that was the most photographed tree in England at Hadrian's Wall. During the night vandals came and took the tree down. Because it is related to our Maple trees its caretaker knew to preserve it. New shoots started to come out of the old and ancient tree. A new hope and birth from the original one.
Our origin is hope. From the creation of the world by God there is such hope. Hope for a fragile world set into action. Hope we might do better than our ancestors. Hope that we will find our way to promises of life. Hope we will choose life. All these should be set into the fabric of our being, but do we live as a people of hope?
Think of hope as a tree. Each of these verses build one upon another. We have to be truthful in all of it. A shoot starting up which promises a new life. A recompense for those who we consider have been against us. Then all these animals who seem to lay down in quiet peace with one another.
Yet this mirrors something of hardship. Yes we might feel as though we want retribution on our enemies, but are they really our enemies? The animals might lay in peace with one another or is this just representation of hard things are hard and we can make it through.
In Jane Goodall's The Book of Hope she says we have to anticipate that there will be hard times. Hope isn't wishful thinking. Hope is not that everything will be right. Hope realizes that a small light can shine through the darkness and become brighter if we just keep working at it.
This is what hope does. It survives tough times because we aren't guaranteed that things aren't going to be hard. When we deny there are tough times we deny hope. Think of it this way.
Our story goes like this. Hope was born into a time when the Roman Empire was out to destroy everything Israel believed. Hope was born to a poor family with no place to even bear the child and had to go to a stable and give birth with the animals. Hope was killed as a traitor to the state and yet sprung to life again after three days.
Hope is not elusive nor does it die when tough times come. Hope shines maybe dimly at times, yet it can be kindled as our readings today show us. How will you make hope shine a little brighter this season?
Comments
Post a Comment