Unshakable, Indescribable, Everlasting Hope

There are many times that I don't feel so unshakable. There are many moments that I do not feel so strong, much less hopeful. While I may feel broken, down-trodden, or shaken to the core, God's promise of hope is still there. It is untouched by the rough events of life. It certainly is unshakable.

There are moments in life when we wonder where God is in all of our hurt. Some may even question if there even is a God. After all, how can a loving God, as He is described, allow such horrible thing to happen to His children. How and why are questions that ring loudly for all of us at certain times in our lives. God's HOPE for us is totally indescribable because it is there for us no matter what. We cannot fully explain it or adequately describe the power of it, but it is there AND it is ours to have.

There is no expiration date on God's hope. It is abundant and always available. It has no end. It is eternal, EVERLASTING. And, it's near to all of us.

My recent thoughts of hope have been prompted by a recent viewing of a Louie Giglio DVD. I watched that first part of his message entitled "Hope When Life Hurts Most". His message addressed "real" hurt...hurt that rocks your world, makes you question your faith, wonder if there really is a God. Have you ever felt hurt that deeply? I know I have had experience with hurt that rocked my faith. I asked the infamous question "Why?"

I felt my faith waiver when Layton, my nephew, was first diagnosed with cancer. I felt it begin to crumble as I saw so many other children losing their battles with cancer. How could God let these innocent children suffer so? I forgot most of my doubts and questions as Layton recovered and entered remission. it was not until Erynn, our niece, died that those questions resurfaced with a vengeance. The hurt, the doubt, the anger...they were real, deep, and tested my faith in the hope God has for His children.

But from Louie Giglio, I was able to also see that there is a purpose in our hurt. God can make good from our bad and provide us with the hope He so longs for His children to has. The hope is there. Sometimes the hurt can overshadow it. But remember, it is, after all, unshakable, indescribable, and everlasting. in both of my situations, the hurt greatly impacted me, but the hope I found...WOW!!

In the situation with Layton, there were many revelations of hope. I became connected to other children through their Caring Bridge websites. Through the deepest dark moments of their children's lives, many of these parents became witnesses to the Word of God. They found hope in Christ at their weakest point in life. Through their grief and pain, they brought people to the hope given to us through Christ and His death on the cross.

One particular child comes to mind. I spoke of him in my last blog entry. Dax lost his battle with cancer at the young age of 2. His mom has continued to blog on his website since his death. She has shared her gut-wrenching emotions with all who read it. There has even been a person who said that a loved one had come to know Christ through the blog.

But she also shared her wish, her goal to raise enough money to run St. Jude Hospital for an entire day $1.6 million. She has had large support from her community. Here recently, Matthew West also held a concert in Dax's hometown all to raise awareness for his Mom's cause for St. Jude. How amazing the reach that Dax's story has had. That is HOPE! The hope is there in spite of the pain. The hope is there beyond the pain.

Erynn's short life was not in vain. Prior to her and her twin's very premature birth, their parents were not very active in church. As the girls became stronger, my sister-in-law began to regularly attend church. Shortly after she began regularly attending with their three children, her husband began to go with them. Finally, they as a family were building a life with God at the center of it!! The girls were dedicated in this church. The members of that church became extended family. This was the foundation they needed before facing the darkest days of their lives.

I firmly feel that the miracle of Erynn's and Reagan's lives brought their parents closer. I also believe that God's purpose for Erynn was to bring her parents back to Him. She taught so many of us how to love unconditionally and love every minute of life. The hope here was that the smallest of children brought her parents back to Christ. Think what a difference we as adults could make! What a profound change happened in this family's life--the HOPE of CHRIST through the CROSS!

Hope is real; hope is here; hope will never leave. All we have to do is lay our hurt at Jesus' feet. He will heal us. He will care for us. He will give us hope.