A Four Letter Word




Hope 

An elusive thought.
A nice word.
A word offered when life seems to be at it's worse by well meaning people.
The polite four letter word, when in the midst of pain, other four letter words seem more appropriate. 
How bad does it have to get before it gets better?
Is this rock bottom?

What does your faith mean on days like that? When tragedy strikes and you wonder where your God is in the midst of it all? Did you not have enough faith? Or love people enough? Or pray for your enemies? Or try to walk out the tension of your faith? Of course- you know that none of that is true. The Sunday school answer that Jesus loves you is true. But the problem is- it doesn't feel that way. 

So what do you do? Do you put on the happy face and pretend nothing is wrong? Do you avoid the evil and death and pretend it doesn't exist? Do you distract yourself by working so hard that you pass out from pure exhaustion? Do you volunteer and help others- to the same end? What do you do when hope is an elusive four letter word? 

As the news seems to only bring worse news as the days go... We think we have it pretty rough. Suffering isn't comparative but maybe, just maybe, we can learn something from others who have had it "worse" than we have. Or maybe we can learn from others who have survived. And more than survived, that thrive. Those who live. Who choose joy. 

After all, for them, everything stank of death and darkness and destruction. Everything has been burned, hallowed out, torn up and left for ... 

And in the midst of the worst of it all... In walks Isaiah. He had lost everything. His country. His people. His safety.  He had every right to wallow in sorrow. To simply cry out. To give up. And instead he speaks a four letter word - hope. The people thought he was crazy. They wanted vengeance. They wanted their lives back through power and force. They wanted... to feel safe. Whatever the cost.

Instead Isaiah weaves a story... what does it look like when a tiny speck of green appears from a dead tree after a fire, when beauty rises from the ashes, when the miracle happens? He tells the people to hang on. Don't give up. God is working. Even when we don't understand. Or see. 

Not the kind of "wait until heaven" thing. A blind trust. The sappy bumper stickers. Or to the other extreme that a lightening bolt will strike and blow down the offenders. 

But a third option. Not our way. The four letter word- hope. The kind that looks like a cross and defeat. But is really an empty tomb and victory. The kind of mystery that we can't understand. Not just a simple bandaid fix but making all things new. Restoration. Life that starts now. Healing. For anything less than that would not be worthy of Him. It would be too little. Not the cheesy church answer- but a mystery so deep that we shake our heads. That we cry out. And sometimes, just cry. That we learn to depend on the people placed in our lives as a gift. Because He hasn't left us alone. That together - we wrestle through the four letter words that make no sense. 

And when the day comes to a close... When we are left searching for answers... That His Spirit would quiet our souls. That the one and only Word would be spoken. And that by His Word we would know hope.


Comments

Popular Posts