Dare to Hope

“There is a risk, there is always a risk, but hope is worth the risk.”

Loren Thornburg

Risk is a scary thing because it means there is a chance for injury or loss. We become face to face with exposure to pain and hurt which are things we try to avoid at all cost. Hope is a risk. It is a risk to believe that what you want or desire can actually come true and that things will turn out for the best. Often it seems easier not to hope or to have high expectations. If we keep them low we also keep from being let down. The problem in doing this is that we miss out on much. We miss out on the life in hoping. For while there may be loss if things don’t work out as we hoped, we may get hurt, there may be pain, yet the greater loss is not to have hope. It is in hoping, in believing that we find life!! And let us not forget that the other side of risk is that there is a chance for great reward, great joy, and great life!! There is a chance that our desires will come true. Take the chance...dare to hope.

“The thought of my suffering and homelessness is bitter beyond words...Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The unfailing love of the Lord never ends!”

Lamentations 3:19-22 NLT

Now if anyone saw reason to stop hoping it was Jeremiah. After destruction of Jerusalem and it’s people that he tried to warn for years of this fate if they did not repent Jeremiah laments among the ruins of the city through the book of Lamentations. Yet, even after all that he experienced and all that he saw, one destruction after another, he still dared to hope. I can’t help but be challenged to have the same Hope as Jeremiah in the places in my life that look like ruins. His kind of hope was not in things of this world but in the one true LORD whose unfailing love never ends. We have a guarantee that God’s love never fails and never ends, but as Jeremiah and you and I can attest to that doesn’t mean there won’t be ruins in our lives. So the risk remains...to dare to hope in the midst of things that don’t look hopeful. We can because the promise remains...His Love will never end. We can because that promise means that even when it looks bad God’s love is at work accomplishing all of its purposes beyond what we see. So, let us dare to hope by remembering we have a God who loves and can’t stop loving no matter what!!

Known in the Unknown

“As you walk through the unknown trust the known.”

Loren Thornburg

The unknown can bring all sorts of emotions including fear and anxiety. Yet if we look to those we know to go with us, ask those we know for wisdom, and focus our attention on other things that we know to be true the unknown becomes more known. For me, one who is not gifted with directions even the unknown of driving to a new location can bring unsettling emotions. Yet, if I have someone with me who has been there before and is familiar with the destination I am no longer fearful. In addition, if I get directions or have a GPS I am more at ease. I can also remind myself of previous experiences and other things that are true such as, I have driven to new places with success before and if I have trouble there are people I can call for help. The more I look to these resources and things that I know the less anxiety I find. Now, if only driving in unfamiliar territory was the biggest unknown that we face!! However, this principle is true even in the big stuff. For the transition to college, moving across the country, stepping into a new role, changing jobs, or whatever it is that you are facing it still applies. The more we can look to things that we know the less the fear and anxiety can take hold.

“I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me...You will show me the way of life.”

Psalm 16: 8 & 11 NLT

We have a God who we can trust to show us the way of life. No matter where our unknown destination may be Jesus has been there before and is with us for the journey. Jesus is the one you want with you in the car when you don’t know where you’re going. You can ride easy with Him knowing that He has been there before, whatever it is that you are facing. Unfortunately sometimes we forget to look to Him for direction, to look to Him for comfort, to look to Him. For when we do we will not be shaken. He is our known because we KNOW that He is trustworthy, that He will never leave us, that He is good, that He has plans for us, that He will show us the way to life, that He loves us. In knowing that we can trust the unknowns that come our way. Knowing means being aware. The more we can fill our awareness with Jesus the more we can trust the unknown times of our lives. Be aware of what you know...Jesus leads to life!!

Don't Forget to Celebrate

“With all there is to do and the distance there remains to go don’t forget to celebrate how much has been done and the distance already come.”

Loren Thornburg

Celebration is the act of marking one’s pleasure at an event or occasion. We are most familiar with a birthday or holiday celebration and then there is the celebration of a big accomplishment. Yet, what about all the little ones that really aren’t so little?! The habit you’ve been working to break that you saw improvement in, the fear you’ve been having that you found a bit of freedom from, the control that you surrendered a little more of...those are worth celebrating. Sometimes we get so focused on working on things, on growing, on doing things better that we miss the change, the growth, and the small victories that in all actuality are a big deal! For it is those little ones that are necessary for the bigger ones. It is in celebrating that we find hope and encouragement to continue the process. You don’t have to throw a big party, although you could. It could be as simple as remembering and resting in that accomplishment, sharing with friends and making a toast, or doing something fun. There are a number of ways to celebrate but each of them is an act of remembering the distance that you’ve come and the big deal that it is!! Let’s celebrate!!

“All praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the source of every mercy and the God who comforts us.”

2 Corinthians 1:3 NLT

It is God at the center of everything. The more we stop to remember the things in our lives that we have to celebrate, the more we can praise Him! The more we see how we have been blessed, been changed, and been redeemed the more we see His hand of mercy and comfort in our lives. The more we see the more we celebrate and praise and the more we praise the more we are changed and the more there is to celebrate. It’s a cycle that just can’t stop with God at the center. Whether we see it or not will not change the truth of God being the source, but we change the more we stop to celebrate this truth in our own lives. Remember to celebrate...it’s God at the center, as the source of everything, of all you have to celebrate!!