Hope is one of those tricky words. Many times it can even hold a negative connotation. Like, "Well, let's just hope..." Or, "I hope you get better." What about, "I really hope it works out for you." >Insert smug face emoji here< It's almost like we use it as a wishful thinking phrase for the person we are trying to console. We might even say it while crossing our fingers. I know I've done that way too many times to count.
But really it should mean what it's supposed to mean. It should hold the weight and depth of the real hope that the Lord intends for us. The kind that anchors our soul. The one that breathes life into a hopeless situation. The kind of hope we find written all throughout His word. For example, Romans 12:12 tells us to 'rejoice in hope,' right? Why? Because we are supposed to hope as if it will happen. It's actually not wishful thinking at all. So, we rejoice!
It hasn't always been so easy though. Our lives consist of a lot of waiting. Like ALL. The. Time. Ha! Phil and I have always joked that everything we pray for we have to wait a long while for. At least it feels that way! We may or may not be a bit over-the-top but it definitely feels like we are waiting for big things constantly. Like currently. We are 18 months in and each month we find ourselves waiting. Praying. Crossing our fingers. Then waiting again. This one has probably been the hardest of them all because it involves two little people we love so deeply. And it has taken much longer to know what will happen than the time we went through it with Cadence. We have experienced a lot of ups and downs. Lots of it's over, they're going back moments. It's a lot of waiting for the next court hearing, the next family meeting, the next assessment. Sometimes it even feels like we will have an answer, then it goes on hold again and the waiting process starts all over. It's exhausting! And also sounds depressing... but wait... keep reading. I promise it gets better.
Recently, I have felt a special grace in our waiting. I wasn't sure what it was until now. It's called hope! I stumbled upon this word recently. It's the Hebrew word for hope— Tikvah (teek-VAH). It means expecting what is desired. And it has come so alive in my heart! I honestly do not know what is going to happen. But I do know that I have tikvah! I know He has this all in the palm of His hand and there's nothing I can do or anyone else can do to change the outcome. So, I rejoice.
PS. Our state's motto is 'Dum spiro spero.' And guess what?! It means, 'While I breathe, I hope.' Some say it originates from a 3rd century Greek poet, Theocritus. He would write, "While there's life there’s hope, and only the dead have none."
Coincidence we live in the hope state? Never.
'Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will rest in hope.'
Psalm 16:9
'Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, And whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green...'
Jeremiah 17:7-8
*Picture taken of the kids by the famous John Parra in the hope state of South Carolina.
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