Psalm 62 “My soul finds rest in God alone, my salvation comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation. He is my fortress. I will never be shaken.”
Hope gives you strength.
Hope gives you courage.
Hope gives you stamina to keep going when it feels like it would just be easier to stop.
The last decade has been a unique experience for me. It was exactly 10 years ago that Dianna came down with an illness. We knew it was neurological, but took over 3 years to get a diagnosis. About 5 ½ years ago, she passed away from corticobasal degeneration. Only a few thousand people have ever been diagnosed with it. Just an odd neurological disorder. Through the caring of her, lifting her, etc., I had to have surgery on a hip that didn’t work out, so it required a second reconstruction of a hip. This felt like I was going through a lot.
Then 2020 came. In January, I did the DMin (Doctorate of Ministry program); it went really well. I jumped on a plane immediately for events in four countries on the Pacific Rim. I knew I’d contracted some sort of illness in Vietnam, and ended up in Australia in the hospital for 8 days, with 4 ½ in intensive care. I was finally diagnosed with an Asian viral sepsis. I got back home and within a matter of a few days, New York went into lockdown. I live alone with no family nearby. It’s a challenge.
I embrace this deep, profound sense of hope. I don’t have many alternatives. But it’s real and it’s true. The phrase is, “When you’re going through hell, don’t stop. Keep going.” Hope gives you things that almost nothing else in human existence will give you. It’s a lift; it’s a strength; it’s a courage. It’s HOPE.
Two things I want to leave you with. There’s more hope than you know. Regardless of where you find yourself, whether it’s the pandemic, a family issue, whatever you are facing, or a combo of all of the above, there’s more hope than you know. I promise. It’s always, always too soon to quit.
I took time to tell you my story because this isn’t just a cheery “hopeful sense” of hope. It goes well beyond that. Look at how Psalm 62 wraps up. “One thing God has spoken, two things I have heard. You, O God, are strong and You, O God, are loving.”
Understand the strength. Understand the immense love of the Father.
There’s always more hope than you know. Keep it alive.
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