Hold to Hope
Yesterday in a period of about ten minutes, I saw my boys take their love for each other from one extreme to the other.
The boys recently inherited a battery operated four-wheeler that needs a new battery. After losing its charge pretty quickly, I saw my oldest push and pull his younger brother all over the yard. Now younger brother is no small tart and the four-wheeler is pretty hefty too. So for a solid hour or so, oldest brother lugged about 75 pounds of stuff all over the yard just so his younger brother could ride. It was such a selfless, precious moment.
It was short lived. They rode into the shop and a few minutes later came running crying. Both of them. After arguing, it seems that younger brother got upset and punched older brother in the head. Older brother retaliated with a hit to the hand. Finally, younger brother ended the fight with a hit to an undisclosed location. They never told me where, but it apparently was enough to warrant they come running to Momma.
After talking it out, they agreed that they would never let anyone else beat up on their brothers, they would defend them to the death, even “knocking them out” and “punching them in the bell-ay”. They apologized and hugged it out.
So many times what we are willing to do for others falls short when it comes to what we are willing to do for ourselves.
I am currently reading the book of Job from the Bible. If you have never read this book, (insert most overt display of sarcasm here…) it is a big ball of sunshine, let me tell you! Job, who is, at the time, one of God’s most faithful servants, begins to be afflicted by trials and troubles in an effort for the devil to test his allegiance to the Lord. Sure, it’s easy to stay faithful in the good times, but what about when everything is stripped away?
In Chapter Three, Job begins to feel the weight of his current situation and begins to cry out wondering why he was even born. Two of his very best friends come to him after watching his “woe is me” attitude and say:
“If one attempts a word with you, will you become weary?
[If we talk to you, will you hit us??]
But who can withhold from speaking?
[We just can’t take it anymore!]
Surely you have instructed many, and you have strengthened weak hands.
Your words have upheld him who was stumbling, and you have strengthened the feeble knees;
But now it comes upon you, and you are weary; it touches you and you are troubled.
[In bad times for others, you have been quick to be a source of strength and encouragement.
Yet now, when it comes to yourself, you have grown tired and discouraged.]
Is not your reverence your confidence?
And the integrity of your ways your hope?
[Will the same God who you encouraged others with before not also see you through your trouble?
Why do you lack hope that this will all work out?]
Job 4:2-6
So many times we see others face trials or pain, and we are so quick to offer them the promise that we will pray for them or that God will see them through this hard time. Yet, in our own lives whether the circumstances truly seem bleak or the barista just didn’t get our coffee order quite right, we immediately determine our whole worlds are crashing down.
We must get to a place where we feel as though the same God who will advocate for others will also come through for us. Where we don’t lose all hope in the face of one small trial or tribulation. We must determine that the God who we revere with confidence for others will be the same God at work in our lives. That the integrity of faith in a faithful God, with which we attempt to live our lives on sunny days, will also bring us hope on the rainy days.
And when you cannot quite muster the courage to have that faith on your own, I pray you have surrounded yourself with friends who will say, “Hey can we talk to you without you hitting us?? Because we can’t stand to see you sit in misery!” And I pray that those friends will be the friends to lug you to hope when you can’t quite go anymore on your own…
