The other night I found myself standing on the porch of a
friend’s house, huddled with others in prayer.
Some of us had come because we want to serve and support in any way we
can, others stood there because they were brave enough to let us know they
needed help. We prayed, we hoped, and we
held one another. The Amen was still
hanging in the air when someone declared, “I hate cancer.” In this, we were all one.
On the way over to this impromptu prayer meeting, my wife
told me of a tragedy which had just taken place. A woman who she mentors had texted Tammie to
let her know that the woman’s dear friend had chosen to take her life. Apparently, her friend had been taken over by
despair. The woman was just coming to grips with what had happened, and the
shock of the loss. My wife simply tried to hold her as she grieved.
This news came to my wife on a night when she had just sat with
children whose parents had died in the past year. They were making memory
candles to help them remember their parent as they move through the
holidays. As they created they also
shared. It was heart wrenching to hear the children talk about how their
parents had died, and to see the effect their death and absence is having on
these dear ones.
Earlier in the afternoon I found out that the mother of my
second cousin, who was murdered this past July, appeared to have been kidnapped
as she got out of her car at work that morning. At the time the police were
still searching for her and for a suspect.
Thankfully, two days later they found her, unharmed. She is now hidden away in a secret place
until it all gets sorted out.
These events are added to a growing list of people we know
who are struggling with MS, ALS, and other chronic diseases I do not even have
initials for. Some I have watched for
years walk with great dignity as they deal with the reality of their
affliction. Others are still in the
early stages; learning what affects their aliment will have on their
bodies’ long term. It is a lot to
process for them and their loved ones. It is a lot to hold.
Addiction has also raised its ugly head; with more than a
few families we know and love, being affected by someone who has fallen into
its grips. Addiction causes great
emotional, relational, and physical destruction. The effects ripple through
families and communities. It mares the soul, and is a difficult demon to
exercise. Not a week goes by that I do
not sit with someone who is walking this path.
Add to all of this, the unspeakable violence which took
place in Paris on Friday (at the time of this writing there are 127 dead, 300
hospitalized and 80 of them are in critical condition) and it all starts to
feel like too much. To focus on any one of these events could be discouraging.
To try and keep them all in view can be downright depressing.
Do you ever feel like this, or is it only me?
Driving home from our friend’s house the other night I found
myself asking, “How do you hold all of this and still hold on to hope.” Maybe, it is a question you have come to at
some point in your life. Maybe, like me, it is one you are asking now.
What helps me hold on to hope is remembering the current
circumstance, no matter how big it feels, is only a small part of a much bigger
story. When I focus only on the brokenness
of the small part before me, I can feel despair, but when I widen my view, when
I remember there is a much bigger story being written, I can find hope in knowing the present circumstance
is not the final word. It may be painful and difficult. It may be filled with destruction, loss and
death. It may stun me and knock me down,
but it does not determine how the bigger story will end. Knowing this, allows
me to cling to hope despite the present circumstance.
What will determine the end is the fact is there is One who
is good, loving, and trustworthy. I am confident, even when what is taking place
is not good, that He is at work for good.
He has the capacity to redeem all things, even those things which seem
the most evil and destructive and hopeless.
Knowing this helps me to move from simply taking my focus off the
present circumstances and widening my view, to being able to recognize His
presence and work, even in the most difficult of circumstances. Seeing this reminds
me we are not alone, even when it may feel like it. And knowing He is present
gives me hope.
This kind of vision also opens me to see the person or
people who are bearing the weight of the current circumstance differently. I am able to see that their story is not
limited by what is taking place. They are
not defined by it, nor are they trapped by it. In fact, I am often
able to see that just the opposite is true. Their present affliction, which
seems to part of a diabolical plan to destroy, actually becomes the birth place
of freedom and life. It is indeed possible for their troubles to not overwhelm them.
In fact, it is possible for their affiliation to seemingly become light and
momentary, and achieve for them an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. It is possible, even in the face of very
difficult circumstance, to live in light of the bigger story. When I witness people doing this, it inspires
me and hope grows within me.
All of this opens me to the reality that love wins. Not some general, nebulous force, which we
call love, but the One who is love. It
is He who wins, it He who triumphs over sin and death, it is He who rescues and
restores all things. That is how the
story will end. It will end with Him leading a train of people who have not
been overwhelmed or destroyed by the smaller story, but who have been given
life and freedom, and who have been made whole.
That will be some parade to watch and cheer. The thought of it washed my mind with hope.
Keeping these realities in view does not erase the hurt,
loss and pain I am capable of feeling as I am confronted with the harsh reality
of present circumstances, but it does allow me to hope. And hope is a wonderful thing. Hope strengthens and enables me to persevere. It protects my heart from despair and opens
me to unfailing love. It enables me to wait and trust, and it invites me to
walk in light of the reality of the bigger story which contains not only hope,
but a future.
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. - Romans 12:12
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord,
“plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
– Jeremiah 29:11
