Hope

I had the pleasure of going out without my son and husband today. Enjoying my time, I drove more leisurely than usual, and I found myself taking in the sights of my city in the early spring. The boulevards were newly melted and very brown, there were big piles of sand and gravel along the sides of the road that the melting snow had left behind. People on the sidewalks were dodging mud, ice, and puddles while trying to run or push strollers. I found myself observing two very different viewpoints that I could have about what I was seeing and observing. 

I could see the city and its weather at this time as what it truthfully is: the ugliest time of year. Dirty, unpleasant, and downright messy. On the other hand, I could look at it as what it also truthfully is: A season of hope.

I couldn't help but breathe in the air, and smell the hint of spring lingering in the air. I had to remove my winter jacket, because it was just too warm. I was picturing those brown boulevards green with new grass. I was truly picturing my family going for a walk for ice cream, while my son pedaled his new bike beside us as my husband and I walked hand in hand. Hope is the only word that I could use to describe what I was feeling as I was driving.

With all the negative winter statuses that I have read on Facebook, it definitely felt refreshing to have a mindset of hope. It made me think of a song our Sunday School kids sing on Sundays.

Psalms 33:20-22 says, “We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love be with us, LORD, even as we put our hope in you.”

I couldn't help but think about our spiritual conditions. When we are in a rough place going through a struggle; when we are waiting for a promise from the Lord to come to be; when we are find it hard to see the positive side of a situation, and all we see is the dirty ugly parts of our situation, we can certainly use a good dose of hope. 

There are many times in life when I can use a good dose of hope. I need to choose to hope in the Lord. I need to choose to see what will be ahead, while focusing on the Lord. The God we serve is unfailing, and the source of all hope. If there is anything or anyone to put our hope in, it is our almighty, all powerful, all knowing God.

Kourtnay K.