On Him.
"He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again."
(2 Corinthians 1:10 ESV)
Because of the nature of my son's illness, my husband and I often spend our days (or hours) advocating for his ongoing care. I'm not going to lie, it gets brutal sometimes.
You can imagine my amusement when a few casual observers within the health care system pronounced that I was a very "hopeless mother", simply because I made inquiries about upcoming treatments. I don't quite trust in the best laid plans of men...so all hope must be lost.
I chuckled to myself at this declaration and thought, "they obviously don't know my God."
Am I distressed at times? You bet. Discouraged? Does hopelessness loom? My son is severely disabled, I wouldn't be human if I said no to these things.
However, I must protest. Hopelessness does not define me, because "hope" lives outside of me. God is the God of hope. And it is "on Him" that all of my hope lies.
I can remember one time that I actually tried to give up on hope. Yup. With full knowledge of what I was doing, I told God, "I give up". So I lay on my bed, head covered with a blanket, and said good bye to hope. I didn't want it, didn't like it, I was done. See ya later. I lay there like a sack of potatos, not answering the phone, full teeth grit, 3 straight hours. This was war and I was on the losing side.
See, because God was standing there watching me. Probably had his head cocked, arms folded and I imagined that He asked me something like, "Are you done yet?". "Because I'm not going anywhere, and hope lives with me".
I am sorry for those people who think I am hopeless. They believe that hope lies in what we do, in our strength and wisdom. The best laid plans of men. Oh for their eyes to be opened! If only they knew the same God that I know. The One who hears all of my cries and distresses, and He answers them...reminding me that hope lives. As God lives, so does my hope. It cannot die.
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."
(1 Peter 1:3-5 ESV)
(2 Corinthians 1:10 ESV)
Because of the nature of my son's illness, my husband and I often spend our days (or hours) advocating for his ongoing care. I'm not going to lie, it gets brutal sometimes.You can imagine my amusement when a few casual observers within the health care system pronounced that I was a very "hopeless mother", simply because I made inquiries about upcoming treatments. I don't quite trust in the best laid plans of men...so all hope must be lost.
I chuckled to myself at this declaration and thought, "they obviously don't know my God."
Am I distressed at times? You bet. Discouraged? Does hopelessness loom? My son is severely disabled, I wouldn't be human if I said no to these things.
However, I must protest. Hopelessness does not define me, because "hope" lives outside of me. God is the God of hope. And it is "on Him" that all of my hope lies.
I can remember one time that I actually tried to give up on hope. Yup. With full knowledge of what I was doing, I told God, "I give up". So I lay on my bed, head covered with a blanket, and said good bye to hope. I didn't want it, didn't like it, I was done. See ya later. I lay there like a sack of potatos, not answering the phone, full teeth grit, 3 straight hours. This was war and I was on the losing side.
See, because God was standing there watching me. Probably had his head cocked, arms folded and I imagined that He asked me something like, "Are you done yet?". "Because I'm not going anywhere, and hope lives with me".
I am sorry for those people who think I am hopeless. They believe that hope lies in what we do, in our strength and wisdom. The best laid plans of men. Oh for their eyes to be opened! If only they knew the same God that I know. The One who hears all of my cries and distresses, and He answers them...reminding me that hope lives. As God lives, so does my hope. It cannot die.
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."
(1 Peter 1:3-5 ESV)
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