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
Psalm 31:24 Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.
“The hope is in the yes, when times go bad.” -Tim
Tim and I sat in the tour boat waiting for the rain to pass.
We’d been in Maine a few days and had planned a trip to see the puffins, a fun
little bird with a colorful beak who lives at sea. As the drizzle continued, I
wondered if we were going to get to go out to the island they lived on. To see
the puffins, we needed to travel by boat about a half-an-hour out into the
Atlantic Ocean. The guide warned, due to fog, we might not have the best view.
Even with these hindrances, my hope of seeing these adorable birds kept me
afloat. Instead of doubting and grumbling, I held on to my dream of watching
these birds bob in the water.
In time, the rain stopped, and our tour boat took us into
the waters, and we watched the puffins bob up and down, plus an array of other
ocean birds on Eastern Egg Rock Island. I’m thankful I didn’t give up and go
home, but waited for the yes from the guide to move ahead.
I could have pouted or given up while I sat in the boat and
waited. Instead, I hung on to the hope we’d get to go out on the water. When
life takes a difficult turn, or circumstances feel unbearable, instead of
blaming God, reach out to Him and hope in the yes. Yes—meaning I trust you Lord in
all my circumstances. He promises to be with us in all things.
As long as we turn to God and not away from Him, hope
remains.
Be strong, take heart, seek Him, and wait for Him.
John 16:32-33 A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be
scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I
am not alone, for my Father is with me. I have told you these things, so that
in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But
take heart! I have overcome the world.”
I'm never alone.
Tim and I took Rosie for a walk at the local park. We hiked
into an area where we could hear the river water rushing alongside us. As I
walked, I spied the three-leafed trillium that sprouts in the spring in Ohio
and enjoyed the greening foliage on the trees. For a moment I closed my eyes
and listened. No cars revved their engines, no washer or dryer rumbled, no
furnace kicked off and on. All I heard was the water, the burble of the river
flowing over rocks, the tranquility of the woods. The peace reminded me of the One
who is always with me.
The last three months have been hard. At times the burden
too much to bear, but the beautiful, most wonderful thing I experienced in my
time of grief and stress was the presence of the Holy Spirit. I'm never alone.
Yes, my family and I were surrounded by the amazing blessing of friends. For
that I'm so thankful, but in those times when I sat by myself in my home while Tim worked,
I felt the presence of God. Through scripture and the Spirit, He reminded
it would be alright.
Jesus spoke to his disciples before his final days on earth
and reminded them that even as they needed to scatter and leave Him on His own,
God was with Him. I absolutely love what He tells them. "I have told you
these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will
have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
As a believer, the Holy Spirit lives inside me, beside me, and
gives me peace in this troubled world.
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this
world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Summer
peace...
I tucked myself into the old swing where maple
trees shaded and cooled. In my hands I held my favorite book, probably a story
featuring a horse or dog. Or maybe my favorite novel, Christy. I read Catherine
Marshall's classic several times as a teenager.
Cincinnati at the Banks
Where I grew up, an awesome porch sat on the
corner of the house. When the heat of the season pressed in on me (no air conditioning) I'd take my iced tea and book of the day and cozy into
the porch swing. The back and forth sway cooled my skin as I lost myself in the
story.
That was the peace of long ago summers.
I still enjoy porch sitting. Now we have a glider
instead of a swing. And I still like to read on the porch to escape the chaos
of life. When I sit in the quiet absorbed in a story, peace fills my soul.
In the book of John, Jesus speaks to his disciples,
those he considered his friends, about his end days. He assures them they will
have peace even though he is going to die. I'm not sure how I would have felt
if I'd been with him. I'm guessing each of the disciples needed time to
process and comprehend. They may have had a place to sit and think (their own
form of a swing.) They may have contemplated the parables Jesus told. As we
know, some of them didn't understand until Jesus had risen from the dead. Even
then, a few had to be convinced. But Jesus promised they'd find peace if they
trusted him.
As I seek calm in this chaotic world, I hang on to
the promise Jesus shared with the disciples, "...take heart! I have
overcome the world.”
As we wade the waters of uncertainty and change, keep your eyes on the one who offers hope. No matter what's going on each day, God remains the same, a light in darkness, joy in distress, peace in turmoil. Take heart and trust the Creator of life.
