Posts Tagged "hope"

When I was a boy, I once let go of a helium balloon, just to see what would happen. There it went, floating up, up, slowly and silently, gently making its way skyward until it disappeared in the cobalt blue of an open Texas sky. It was beautiful. I could not explain what happened, because I was only a small child. I could not understand what carried the balloon away or where it might go, because such things were to much for me to know as merely a child. Instead of finding answers, all I could do was look to the sky and trust that someday I might know, but for the moment I must simply let the wonder be enough. … Today a tragedy occurred in our nation. Children and parents, brothers and sisters and mothers and more were gunned down senselessly at a Connecticut...

Do you ever wonder if God will come through for you? “I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in His word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning.” -Psalm 130:5-6 There is a soft glow beginning to appear on the horizon. It’s still early, well before sunrise, but I can see the subtle shift from black to blue already taking place in the sky. It’s still dark, the velvet sheet of night making it difficult to see the road ahead, but I know morning is coming, because morning always comes. There is a soft hope in my heart for things to come.  It lingers, fragile in my soul like a fresh deposit of dew on the grass in the wee hours of the morning. Time threatens to trample it, take...

Do you ever get extra emotional when you hear certain songs? A friend of mine commented the other day, “I don’t know why, but Christmas songs always bring tears to my eyes, but they’re happy songs!  Why is that?” Have you noticed this yourself?  Maybe there’s a particular carol or Christmas pop song that just hits you deeply.  Maybe it’s not a Christmas song at all, but whatever it is, it strikes a chord in your heart and produces a deep response. I find that the reason this happens is because those are the songs that over time have become tied to a whole host of personal experiences that really matter to us.  Some are good.  Some are bad.  Some are memories of things that have been, while others are hopes and dreams for...

Today is Pearl Harbor Day. “On Sunday morning, December 7, 1941 America’s naval base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii was attacked by the forces of the Empire of Japan. The attack sank four U.S. Navy battleships and damaged four more. It also damaged or sank three cruisers, three destroyers, one minelayer and damaged 188 aircraft. More than 2,400 Americans were killed and more than 1,100 were wounded.” (From Wikipedia.org) We live in such a self-absorbed culture, don’t we?  From advertising to education to just basic human nature, we as a people are consumed with ourselves. That’s why days like today are so important. To set aside a day of remembrance is to take a step back and acknowledge that our little lives are not the main point of the...

Do you ever find it hard to just “hang in there?” We heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven.” -Colossians 1:4-5 Sometimes it’s hard to have faith when the world around us is so disappointing. Often it’s truly hard to love others, because let’s face it: sometimes people just make themselves hard to love. Yet, something happens when the heart begins to dwell on the hope of the glorious future Jesus promises His people.  We look to a life and a world with no more pain, sorrow or suffering, no more disappointments or letdowns or betrayals, and that hope has a way of strengthening the soul. If I know deliverance is coming, then I  know I...