Hope for the hopeless....

In every life there comes a moment when we want to give up, when life is too much for us, and we are overwhelmed by the burdens we are carrying. [I am fond of saying that if God really didn't give us more than we could handle, he wouldn't have given us psychologists and prozac. But I digress.] The breaking point is different for everyone, of course. The weight of my burden may seem as nothing to someone carrying a different load. We will never fully understand anyone else's life because we cannot walk their mile, even if we put on the same shoes.

But whatever the cause, so many things in life induce despair, and we are left struggling to understand what has happened. The drunk driver who walks away, leaving the innocent victim dead. The senseless murder of someone in the wrong place at the wrong time. Hurricanes which kill the defenseless, tornadoes coming out of the sky unexpectedly, tsunami waves which crash on the shore miles inland breaking apart lives and homes and families. Illness, financial devastation, job loss, marital discord - the most difficult moments in life are likely to overwhelm even the strongest person.

It is often in the moment of greatest heartbreak that the soul at last turns to God. When we are lost in the valley, we raise our eyes to the mountaintop and seek out the help of our Savior. And he is always there for us. When we call, God answers. He is never unavailable, and he always shows up.

Most people of strong faith can tell a story of a moment when a prayer was answered in a miraculous way. God doesn't often speak to us from a burning bush or appear to us in person like he did in the times of Moses, but our prayers, simple or great, are always answered, even when our faith is faltering.

Hope, grounded in our faith in God, gets us through the hard times - hope for better days, hope for the future, hope for an end to the pain or the suffering or the sorrow or the misery we are experiencing. Above all else, it is hope in an eternity with God which uplifts us and helps us to endure the trials of our earthly lives. In Romans 15:13, the Apostle Paul writes, "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

Whatever burden you are carrying today, whether large or small, serious or less consequential, put your hope in God and lay what is encumbering you at his feet. You will be filled with the peace which only comes from being right with your creator, knowing your salvation is assured.

Hoping your week is filled with uplifting moments as you experience the Holy Spirit working in your life and faith.