I love my days off. I get to go back to bed and sleep 'til around 11AM after doing my devotions and morning prayer around 6!
Waking up late in the morning, I walked to my fridge to find out that there's nothing in it but bananas, milk, orange juice, peanut butter, strawberry jelly, a box of Chinese green tea, a bag of chili powder and cheese...oh, and a bag of un-ground coffee beans, among other stuff with questionable nutrition content! There's no real food but bananas! Bananas and orange juice for lunch isn't all that bad...It's even healthy, I guess! For some reason, I've been having this unusual craving for bananas lately. Maybe I'll have chili powder for dinner? I guess that's all a part of the exciting life of a single-- so many things happen like ending up eating chili powder!
I just finished stuffing a plastic bag with the week's laundry which I'm bringing down to the mat later. I have a meeting at four with the Worship Creative Planning Team (on my day off!). I might have dinner and watch a movie at Eastwood later tonight with my amusing artekulet (yeah, I spelled that right!) friends (one is wondering lately why she isn't in a relationship yet, the other has been nursing a wounded heart for the last three hundred years-- seems like).
That's pretty much my day! Unless God winks and sends in a great surprise, an amusing situation, a blessed appointment! He does that. Some people just can't see it because they choose some other vantage point.
I'm the type who loves and thrives in routine. But there are times when I choose to take a different direction to break it. That helps me from keeping my head down and hustle, and hustle, and look up one day and wonder, "How did I even get here?" It's keeping my head up and staying on the lookout for God's hand at work, or His appointment just around the corner. Otherwise, I will have trouble realizing it immediately.
And when there aren't any signs of God-winks anywhere, we are not without hope. In fact, that's all we need to keep our heads up and eyes open. "All I have left is Hope.”
On Monday, I was having coffee at the Promenade at the end of the day- a holiday. I saw a friend four years my senior who, back in the day (about eight years ago) seemed to have the perfect life: a beautiful, successful wife; a cute little baby; a lovely house in a nice subdivision; financial success; and a strong faith. Regrettably, life had drastically changed. The marriage had ended; he rarely saw his kid; he lives alone in a studio; and he is still financially strong, but without they are "money without meaning," so he says. The only thing that seemed to remain constant was his strong faith. He tells me that when opens his fridge all he finds are bananas, and is satisfied. "All I have left is Hope” says he.
That simple comment is a testament to faith, although I have to admit that I used to dismiss it as naïveté or denial. I was frustrated by what seemed like a cliché use of faith. It's what old maids say about their future romantic life. It's what people say to convince themselves out of their pathetic life and feel better. “All I have left is Hope.”
Hoping and wishing are two different enterprises. While we often speak of them synonymously, theologically speaking they are quite different. We tend to use the word or concept of hope to describe what we want for ourselves or for others. “I hope Heather calls.” “I hope I win the lottery.” “I hope he doesn’t get hurt.” “I really hope I get this job.” You see, our use or understanding of hope tends to be pedestrian; not unimportant, but pedestrian nonetheless.
Yet theologically, Hope is something altogether different. Hope is an act of faith; it isn’t something that simply happens to us or for which we cross our fingers and close our eyes. Hope is the determination to act and to live, expecting that God’s will be done. Hope is often that which is contrary to our instincts or inclinations, perhaps even difficult. Yet, as my friend would say, there comes a time when all you can do is to live Hopefully.
I marvel at people who have the courage to live this way- hopefully, and I wonder what it will take for me to follow their example and thus be the bearer of God’s Hope in this world. What will take for you? Imagine what you know of your tomorrow (actually why wait for tomorrow?) and ask yourself “How can I be the bearer of God’s Hope right now, right here?”
No comments:
Post a Comment