seeds: the story of hope becoming truth

A small seed becomes a big tree, over years and years. 

No matter how big the tree, once upon a time the seed was small. 

It had to be planted as a seed in order to become the large tree, the huge bush, or the beautiful flower it is now. 

And I think the Lord does that in our lives as well. 

In the middle of our broken places, God plants little seeds of hope.

Hope that one day things will be different.

He promises us Himself.

We don't notice them at first because we're hurt.

The planting feels normal. We're used to feeling pushed and moved.

Eventually though, soon after the planting, we stop and notice the new life. The buds. The sprays of green popping out of the brown dirt. 

We notice and marvel, wondering what will happen next.

Then we stop paying attention for a bit, still very much in our hurt and mess. 

Sometimes it feels quick whereas other times it takes time, but no matter what, the seed keeps making action. 

The seeds have grown, are digging in and continue to take root.

Over years and years the tree grows. 

And suddenly we are standing under the shade of a tree that once was hope and that now is our truth.

The Lord has done what He said He would do. He has given us Himself and He is enough.
 
When I finished writing this piece, I remembered this quote by C.S. Lewis and felt like it also said what I hoped to accomplish with these words above.
 
Isn't it funny how day by day nothing changes, but when you look back everything is different

a narrative of hope

Picture with me for a minute, will you?




You're sitting at home, in the middle of your mess. And gosh, it's messy. There's hurt on your lap, and tears on your cheeks. Wounds mark your arms, some self made, some others induced. You're just in the thickest of the thick and you're all by yourself.

Your phone rings and at the other end you hear a voice that you're pretty sure you recognize. It's an old friend, you quickly realize, and you're invited over: come right away.

You're not the only one invited though. There will be at least ten others, so gather your things and come on over.

You look around at yourself and your surroundings. You could really use a long shower and a lot of makeup to cover up the tiredness of your life.

But your friend insists: come as your are.

So you do. You put on a sweater because it's not the warmest day. You grab your keys and you're out the door.  

Soon, you arrive at your friend's home. You look around and see an array of people.

Some look like you. Raged and tired but with gratitude in their eyes. Others look fresh and lovely. You recognize one of the girls who just looks the most beautiful because her whole being is joy filled. You recognize her from a season past, when her eyes looked vastly similar to your own.

You all come in, carrying in the days and the week and the months you're walking in. 

Your friend welcomes you with care: I'm glad you came.

They offer to hang up your sweater since the house is warm but you hold onto it.

Another person beside you gives up their coat. You see track marks on their arms. You're a bit surprised that they shared, but at the same time, you realize you don't have to hide. But you keep your sweater on for good measure. Maybe it'll get chilly later.

You all sit down at the table, and instead of food, you share your lives. Each goes around, sharing the day they're in. Some are the saddest tales whereas others are the happiest. No matter the tale, all are beautiful.

You notice one thing in common, a similar thread that lines the table. You're all broken.

All of you. The ones whose stories sound so very happy have the deepest understanding and compassion in their eyes. The darkest story of all comes from the brightest eyes.

The stories go late into the night. 

When you go home later, you realize something.

You forgot your sweater. You must have taken it off at some point. You hadn't even realized you'd done so.

This narrative above is one that came to mind as I heard this song below. It's by Francesca Battistelli and I think it's a glorious song. A beautiful one, one worth sitting in for awhile.

   bring your brokenness
    and I'll bring mine
   cause Love can heal what hurt divides


I envision a table surrounded with broken people. Because that's what we are. And when we invite others into our mess, and when we allow ourselves into others, beautiful things happen. The Lord moves.

We hear truth we couldn't hear on our own. And we speak truth that others couldn't hear on their own.

Letting others in brings freedom. 

You are not alone. 
 
Your story is not just your own. It must be shared.

There is hope. That hope has a name. The name of Jesus.

Our narrative is one of hope because we trust in the name of Jesus.

And Jesus reigns. He reigns. Yes! Jesus reigns.

amen and thank goodness

I've been doing some writing and reflecting on hope. More so reflecting with wishful thinking to write it out. So here I am, sharing some of my thoughts.
 
Hope really springs up. 

I shared part of this on instagram on Thursday.

Some days it's easy to remember truth. And then other days it's harder. Today has been a harder day. So I'm looking at this image, one I'll use in an already written piece for next week. For weeks I've seen little pieces of life on the oddest and ugliest places. My favourite thing about hope is that one day I won't have to hope anymore. Heaven is the fulfillment of all hope. On the long and dreary days, even when my faith seems small, I'll place whatever hope I can find in the truth that one day hope won't be necessary. Jesus is the fulfillment of hope. Amen and thank goodness.

Spring itself is a sweet demonstration of our hope. I believe that we need all of the seasons to fully experience hope. If we didn't walk through the dismal winter, would we care for the sunshiny summer days? Spring comes before summer. It isn't just winter and then summer. There are these other seasons, these transitional seasons. Spring. Autumn. Such pictures, to me. Of grace and hope and mercy and goodness.

Talking with a friend recently about transitions. We always want to be out of transition. We want the calm and non-crazy. We want the consistent. But truly, when is that going to happen? And even more so, are we promised it? We’re promised eternal life without pain and sorrow, but not here on earth. Here we still live in the mess and muck of a sin filled world.

Which is why we need that beautiful hope of ours.

That beautiful hope that finds its fulfillment in Christ, and that will not even be needed in heaven! Need I say it again? Amen and thank goodness. 

The one reason I keep thinking about how hope springs up is because I keep seeing flowers in odd places. In rocks. On the sidewalk. On a wall. 

And then that odd planter eek thing in the photo. On an ugly wall in a random alley - hope springs up. 

Amen. And thank goodness.

not put to shame

Last week I shared about kindness. It was actually one of my favourite pieces to write, because it forced me to dig deep into scripture, instead of just looking around my normal life for inspiration. I wanted to continue that today, looking at the word hope.

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
Romans 5:1-5 

It was this verse that I went to first when I started looking at the word hope. This idea, this truth, that hope doesn't put us to shame. I'm reminded yet again that our God is not one of shame, and He doesn't call us to things that will shame us; at least not in His eyes. Our world will look at us with cruelty, the same cruelty our God faced when He came to earth. So we can remain hopeful in Him because He understands our weaknesses. God understands that our suffering will give us endurance, and our endurance will give us character, and our character will give us hope.

For me, I'd really like my hope to increase. So if that means I need to suffer more, I tentatively raise my hand and ask God for more suffering. So very tentatively.

The ESV Bible shares of hope 148 times.  Those are a lot of times. 

Nadine actually means hope or hopeful one. Something in me has always been drawn to the word. Naming my future children excites me, because I want to give them a name that will be filled with purpose.

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.
Hebrews 10:23

Hope is so essential to the life of a believer in Christ. We look forward with hope. 

Hope means to desire with confidence. Isn't that amazing? We have a confidence in this desire. It's the perfect description of how I look to Jesus.

Hope really is a beautiful thing. I shared over on Amber's blog a couple weeks ago about faith, hope, and love. Among other things, I wrote "hope is a beautiful trust, a beautiful waiting for what you've heard to meet fruition".

So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13:13

I'm so excited for my hope to be complete in Christ.

Definition of hope typically are linked with the word trust.

I'm so excited for my trust to be complete in Christ.

For you, O Lord, are my hope,
        my trust, O LORD, from my youth.
Psalm 71:5

Despair is an antonym of hope.

I'm so excited for my despair to end in Christ.

And now, O Lord, for what do I wait?
        My hope is in you.
Psalm 39:7

Long story short, I'm so excited for my hope to reach actuality, and I know that it will because of Christ.

I am so very excited and overwhelmed to meet Jesus face to face.

What do you hope in? What does hope mean to you? Do you find it hard to hope?

Journals of Yesterday

I was reading recently through a journal from a few years ago, and was overwhelmed by some of the words that I'd written. 

Words like:

"I just can't seem to find hope or peace anymore." and "I know what I need to do to be happy, but I just feel so captive and unable to get there".

When I see where I was, and see where I've been brought to through the reconciliation of the cross in my life, I realize that God is so powerful. 

Jesus changed everything.

I'm not happier now.

Happy is the wrong word.

I have His peace.

I have His joy.

I have His hope.

It's all Jesus.

He saved me.

My joy is based on Him.

    Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
(Philippians 4:4-7 ESV)