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Hope: an expectation and anticipation of a desired positive outcome that carries one forward.
Clay and I were putting the day to rest as we conversed outside in my “driveway” garden. He suddenly said, “Don’t move! A little bird has joined us.”
For almost a full 5 minutes, the wee one sat and listened and stayed with us. Many of you know that birds speak to me of God’s immediate presence: comfort, friendship, personal attention, love.
Since 37 years ago, I have made birds a symbol of hope for myself. At that time, I had one miscarriage behind me. Pregnant with little Sarah, I hit 5 months and began to bleed. I was on a trip with Clay and his mama in the Austrian Alps and was by myself in a small hotel room. As I poured out my prayers and pleadings to the Lord, he sent a little bird, just like this one literally to my window sill not 6 inches away. The tiny one sang its heart out and stayed there.
Remembering these verses in Luke 12: 6-7,
“What is the price of five sparrows—two copper coins[b]? Yet God does not forget a single one of them. 7 And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.”
it was as though God was whispering to me, “Don’t worry. I see you. I am with you. I will take care of you.”
And so Sarah was born months later and I had the little singing bird forever more to remind me of God’s ultimate faithfulness! (pretty convinced it was an angel bird. :))
Since then, I have collected birds, spread them around my house, pointed then out to my children as a sign that God is visiting us especially today when one shows up.
I have read about so many tragic situations where woman seem to have this innate ability to mount up over dire circumstances to bring hope, redemption and life in the midst of sadness.. They are, it seems, the keepers of hope. They practice rhythms of hope in the traditions they keep and the light they show in their homes.
Hope is the glory of a woman when she could choose to fear, or quitting or despair, but instead chooses to believe forward.
We take it in our hearts to choose hope--hope that our faith will be justified, because we believe that God is real, He is loving, He is powerful and He will have the last word.
“Only a Christian has a right to hope, for only he has the power of God to give substance to his hope…Earth is bearable because there is hope."
A.W. Tozer
Be strong and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for and hope for and expect the Lord! Psalm 31: 24
It is easy as parents to fear the world our children have been born into. But what if, instead, we prepared our children to be warriors for His kingdom? What if we whispered over and over into their sweet little hearts, that though we love them so much, we cannot keep them from evil because God has chosen them to fight a valiant battle, to be a hero of light, hope and goodness in their time and that some day, Jesus Himself will say, "Well done thou good and faithful servant!" --because they fought the good fight and were waiting, like Paul, for the crown that is stored up for him and all who believe and wait for his coming.
Little by little, we must strengthen their muscles of brining hope to their world by giving them the opportunity to be sources of hope and comfort and love to those in need. We are their trainers, those coaches, who are to prepare them to stand strong in their world when God calls them away for His great work.
Satan will not have the last word. Though the battle rages, we shall prevail because we are His and He is the king and Lord over all.
He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. Rev. 21: 7
It is my prayer all of us will hear the very voice of the Holy Spirit calling to have hope, because He is the ultimate redeemer and we know that we will reign with Him through all eternity, after we have been faithful here, to fight the good fight, as Paul did. May we also run the race with godly endurance, keep our faith, and wait for the crown of righteousness that will surely be ours. And may our children who follow behind us find us faithful to leave them a story of hope, a pathway of courage and an end that rejoices in the reality of His presence.
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