Finding Hope

Hope!

“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has been given to us.”  

Romans 5:1-5

     When I watch the news or scroll through social media I often get the sense that Hope is something distinctly lacking in much of our world media coverage these days. Yet as I delve a little deeper into some of the actual stories, I find that Hope is truly the driving force with how many cope and survive through some horrific situations. Hope may not sell news as much as tragedy, shock and awe head-lines will, but I believe it is the core component of what compels us to care and find compassion for complete strangers we may never meet and only read or hear about. It’s almost wired into our very soul.

     An example is with the horrible shootings in Las Vegas. As I watched the news and read the social media reports of what took place; how many were killed and injured; expenses for victims; the heroism of first responders and ordinary people; and so much more, my heart grew heavy and all I could do was pray and hope for the best in each person’s situation. I wasn’t there amidst all the chaos, but I did have friends that were in Las Vegas at the time and I worried for their safety as well. I hoped they were far from this horrible situation.

     Then the opinions on gun laws; the police response; barricades locking people into the event; the constant updates on a lack of motive for the shooter; how many guns he had; who didn’t do what fast enough; on and on, I found myself getting so tired of the story and the many controversies that my own opinions began to get soured. Part of me still just wanted to focus on the heroic response of so many people and the stories of survivors, but with the constant controversies filling the media, all I began to feel was the death toll, tragedy and pain it seemed like everyone was going through. Hope got pushed aside and hopelessness was the better selling feature.

     Then came the comment of “Where was God in all of this” from others who were looking for someone to blame for the suffering they weren’t even going through but simply watching or reading about, like myself. My initial response was, “Same place He always is. Just ask for His help.”

     Of course one reply is that no one knew this was going to happen so how can we ask for His help and if He knows everything already then why didn’t He just stop the shooter. The answer, ‘Free Will’, He gave us the gift of free will to choose our own path in life and unfortunately the consequences can sometimes create situations and people who take that gift and do horrible things with it. Even though the ripple effect of those choices will continue to create negative ripples in other people’s lives for generations to come, if God dared to take control and make everyone involved from beginning to end do exactly what He wanted, people would be angry and blaming Him for not giving us our freedom. So He lets us choose our own path, right or wrong, and focuses on the bigger picture to guide us towards something greater which at the moment we cannot see.

     At the same time the shooter was making a destructive selfish choice to hurt innocent people, hundreds of other people made choices during the shooting to use their gift of free will to put themselves in harm’s way in order to help loved ones and strangers alike, and to create a positive ripple effect by choosing to care and be something greater than any shooter could destroy. I’m sure for the vast majority that were living through the shooting; they said some sort of prayer and hoped to survive. But for those that simply jumped into action to help, it wasn’t because God told them to do it or because they were such good religious people that they knew God would desire it, they did it because it was right to do, they hoped they could help and save others.

     As a Christian, I believe that God gave us free will so we can learn how to use it in a greater way that benefits not just ourselves but the world around us. The selfless acts of others in Las Vegas, a city known for its indulgences, ‘sinfulness’ and selfishness, still showed the world an incredible example of compassion, hope and selflessness which created a sense of hope within my own heart as to how much good there still is in this world.

“Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.”

     This verse has carried me through many of my own sufferings, not just because I know God is with me and always willing to help when I let Him, but because it reminds me that my journey through life is creating a unique character within me. If through all of the good and bad ripples created by my choices and the consequences of other peoples choices which affect me can end with me finding a sense of hope while I journey on this vast ocean called life, then I believe I have succeeded with building a right character.

     During the hard times if we can keep swimming and persevere, we can grow stronger and able to swim better and withstand more. The process however, can cause us to become bitter, angry, hurt, exhausted and filled with despair, depending on how we choose to see each situation. On the contrary even though the same situation happens if we choose to find something hopeful throughout it, we gain the strength to fight, stand, believe and can learn to build a life raft out of the garbage and find there is something greater to hope in than just the rough moment we are going through.

     Each book that I’ve written shares more about my own journey through this ocean of life and they reflect my belief of how much God has helped me throughout it all, even when I didn’t think He was there. God never promised us that this life here would be easy and painless, but He did give us something more to hope in, and a belief in something greater than ourselves.

“And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has been given to us.”

     God’s hope and love is part of all of us whether we choose to believe in it or not, because He created us to be so much more than what we give ourselves credit for. He never desired a bunch of mindless followers that He could simply control and command. Instead He trusted us with this gift of free will knowing that some will abuse it and use it for selfish purposes, but that others will use it to perform amazing acts of courage and bravery from the tiniest good dead to the greatest self-sacrifice for others, because God knew we are capable, worthy individuals with uniquely different characters who by persevering can overcome all odds and be the hope we see in others.

     Finding this hope simply comes down to a choice, it’s our free will.