It's Tuesday at 2:00pm! (PST Time: I live and work from Southern California)
HOPE.
It's December 1st. Hard to believe that this 2020 year has finally progressed to the last month of the year. In some ways it feels like it's been the longest year ever, and in other ways, time just continues to move.
I'm thinking about this word, HOPE.
Hope is defined as "a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen."
As the Christmas season is upon us, we often talk about the HOPE we find in Christ. We're celebrating the arrival of Jesus as a baby to bring us LIFE. That's a great "feeling of expectation and desire" and we'll celebrate this around the world later this month.
HOPE is also on many peoples minds because of the state of our world over the past 10 months. We've all been affected differently, and every thing each of us feel is real. I hear people saying, "I can't wait to get through 2020..." as if 2021 will start fresh and new without any of the pain and struggles.
This has been a tough season for me. I haven't had COVID, and my family has been protected. I survived the elections, and the racial tensions weighed heavy on my heart. But for the most part, I've been OK, but it's also been a season of loss... loss of plans, loss of dreams, postponement of projects and connecting with lives, confusion over what's important, redirecting my expectations, and learning how to simply WAIT.
HOPE and PATIENCE go hand-in-hand. I'm learning that during these days.
This song popped in my head the other day from 1996. Crystal Lewis and Ron Kenoly sing this song called Beauty for Ashes.
Look at the lyrics:
"He gives beauty for ashes, Strength for fear
Gladness for mourning, Peace for despair
When sorry seems to surround you, when suffering hangs heavy oer your head
Know that tomorrow brings wholeness and healing, God knows your need
Just believe what He said"
It's a song of HOPE. Beauty does come from the ashes. Strength, Gladness and Peace come as well.
Today, I don't know what you're facing. My guess is that it's a lot, and it's probably weighing heavy on your heart.
This word HOPE brought me some peace this week.
While I continue to struggle with what's next, I CAN be patient because I HAVE HOPE.
"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1
"Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness." Desmond Tutu
"We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope" Martin Luther King Jr.
Things I'm Reading, Listening To, an Watching This Week:
I learned today that U2 has never done a Christmas Album. I looked, then got distracted by their 40 years of incredible music on the U2 Essentials Album.
Get a Free Stock when you register an account at ROBINHOOD. Here's the bonus.. I get a free stock as well! I use a RobinHood account to manage stock investments and it's a great and simple platform, and it's free!
This book was shared with me because of a model that is used that addresses change. I really enjoyed the book! Innovating Discipleship by Will Mancini.
The Daily Drucker isn't a devotional book, but it's daily insight from the late Peter F. Drucker for leaders everywhere. Today's thought: "If change is relevant and meaningful, what opportunities does it offer?" Short leadership thoughts, a page per day, for a full year. It's a valuable resource.
At the recommendation of our daughter Raylin, we watched a couple of episodes of AWAY on Netflix. We're hooked. Really interesting story with Hilary Swank as the lead. We're excited to complete the first season, probably this week at the rate we're going!