The courage to hope

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

~Romans 15:13

Hope…a best friend and a worst enemy. 

Months of being let down over and over again start to take a toll on you.  You would get your hopes up.  You'd think this is the month!  Then just like that you knew you were wrong.  You were angry at hope!  Your worst enemy.  Why did you let yourself hope again?  The next month would come and somehow hope crept back into your heart and the roller coaster started again.  Eventually I decided maybe it’d be best to not get our hopes up.  I thought it might make everything easier…You couldn't be disappointed if you didn't hope for it.

That wasn't the answer though.  It was an empty time.  Not having that hope was like walking into a tunnel and not being able to see the light at the end of it. Without it we couldn't enjoy this life God has blessed us with.  But when we gave up hope, hope didn't give up on us.  It found its way back to us because God knew we needed it.  We all need hope in our lives, and we find that through Him.   He will provide us with this hope that keeps us going.  Hope is our best friend.

The scary part though, I’ve come to realize, is that you become vulnerable when you let hope in.  Especially when you hope for things that you have no control of.  You hope, knowing you might not receive in the time and way you think is best.  But you still continue to hope…you continue to pray…you continue to believe and trust that God is fulfilling His promises in our lives.  As Romans 12:12 tells us, you need to find joy in hope, while waiting patiently, faithfully praying.  You have to hold onto hope.  And to whatever you pray for everyday, whether or not the odds are in your favor.  A friend once told me a story ending with this simple, yet powerful sentence…”God doesn’t care about odds.”  So true!  The stories in the Bible prove that over and over again.  David wasn't supposed to beat Goliath, but he did.  Sarah and Abraham weren’t supposed to have children in their old age, but they did.  The blind man wasn’t supposed to see, but he did.   Miracles happen when the odds aren't in our favor.  And only God can make those miracles happen.  That’s when He does His best work.  Miracles happen.  We just have to have the courage to keep hoping.