There Is Hope

What is hope? According to good 'ol Webster, the definition of the word hope as a verb is "to expect with confidence; trust," and the definition of the word hope as a noun is "desire accompanied by expectation of or belief in fulfillment." I love that the word hope is both a verb, an action word, and a noun, the subject doing the action.

We are called to be both! We must be living as verbs and nouns. For me and my family our hope comes from the Lord. ""But now, Lord, what do I look for?" My hope is in you." Psalm 39:7.

We are in the midst of an unprecedented time in history. We are living in the middle of a moment where the whole world is experiencing the same thing – the repercussions of the pandemic related to Covid-19. Instead of living in hope we are living in fear. I get it. I really get the unrest, the uncertainty, and the unknown. These are real human thoughts and emotions. But who are we as an American people? Is this where we are going to stay?

Life keeps marching on. Or is it? Is just time moving on and we have stopped actually living the wonderful life we have been blessed with?

Both of the above definitions of the word hope include a form of the word expectation. I have some very clear expectations in mind. I expect there to be more resolved in the American people. I expect that this is NOT the America my children will grow up inin– one controlled by fear and government overreach.

I expect that people will peacefully rise up and we will see a revival in the spirits of men, women and children. I expect the churches to reopen and just as in the first Pentecost in Acts 2:1 "they were all together in one place."

I may be sitting on my own little island in northeast Colorado having these expectations all by myself... but I really don't think so.

I think the biggest question many of us are facing is "How do we move forward?" We all know that we are not going "back to normal," as that is a thing of the past. Those of us that want to honor and obey the Lord want to make sure we are in stride with His purposes and His calling. The question remains, "How?"

We must be encouragers to one another. We must be the light in the darkness. We must help others find the hope of Jesus Christ.

It is possible to find peace in the chaos. It is possible to find joy in the trials. It is also possible to be called to action.

As my cowboy is in the shop making new branding irons, it really reminds me of the process of being forged. I had a dear friend remind me of the Battle of Valley Forge – this was a turning point of the Revolutionary War and one where, because of the intensity and hardship, the men were better disciplined and stronger in spirit than when they had entered.

The very process of being forged is painful. There is a beating of the metal as the sword is given its shape. Are we using this time to receive a sharpening and honing or are we going to come out of the pandemic as a lump of metal?

I trust and expect with confidence, that because of hope and undergoing the process of forging we are going to present a stronger America and we will not be shaken.