The Faces of Hope- Abiding Hope

It seems you can go to any home décor store and find an inspirational quote about hope on a variety of items.  You've got options- framed art, mugs, and even refrigerator magnets.  Hope looks so pretty and inspiring from these quaint frames of reference, and there must be a market where people want to be reminded of hope in these various ways, or the home goods stores might not capitalize on it so much.

 

 

However, the experience of hope takes a little more than a purchase of $24.95.  I'm also cautious to say that the experience of hope has many faces.  More than a slogan or mental high five to keep us driven or even taking that next step, hope has some serious repercussions for anyone who might decide they want to hold onto it.

 

Earned lesson number one- abiding hope is long-suffering.  There is something about hope that can withstand the test of time.  The question then becomes- Can you?  Hope enables us to see a realm of possibilities and potential, but also a sense that the reality is one that is to come.  We as humans, and likely as Westerners, don't know how to hold a vision and not actively take steps to pursue it in the next moments.  We feel that time not spent on that next goal is wasted time.  There's nothing like the present.  That early bird is out there catching that worm!  And hope at times exclaims, "WE MUST ABIDE". 

 

A couple years ago, this word came to mind, then haunted me, and became something I dearly cherished.  God gave me a sense of purpose related to something, and I WAS READY to take action, or so I thought.  God asked me to abide.  This journey became one of played out patience that at times continues to this day.  

 

I'm a visual person, so sometimes something to visualize helps me to take more from the journey.  What I most relate to in my journey into abiding hope is that of when I was a child at the ocean.  My brother and I would go out into the waves and firmly plant our feet  and see who could last the longest only to endure wave after wave.  What we'd quickly find that between the tow of the current, heels sinking into the sand, and preparing for the next wave was that maintaining our ground was a fight.

 

Abiding hope is a fight.  Let me say is again, because it feels well-earned- abiding hope is a fight.  Abiding hope for me hasn't been a fight to continue to hear the whispers that are God's Calling in my life.  In many cases, the slightest whisper drives me more, so its a fight to balance those callings with the timing of God.  Abiding becomes a fight to remain  sensitive to God's Will rather than my pursuit of that Will.  It is a fight to find contentment when those holy stirrings occur in your spirit to say, "It's right around the corner".  The key is knowing when the voice says not yet and we are there. 

 

I've been pretty fearless about action.  I think many people have a fear when we have talked about abiding.  They remind me that I must act.  Maybe afraid that I've gone soft. (They should know better).  If only they knew my propensity for action.  To be bridled to His Calling is a much greater feat... at least in my spiritual walk.

 

Patience.  Contentment. The Fight. To me this is the face of abiding hope.