Where do you find hope?
I am an optimist. I work hard as an adult to be positive, look on the bright side and find the good in others. I’d like to think I am a realistic optimist, not a Pollyanna.
But I will confess: when things don’t go as planned. When dreams and hope shatter. When it seems everyone else gets all the luck, the blessings and the good fortune, being hopeful become more difficult.
Where do you find hope when feeling helpless? I found a refreshing surge of courage in a book I just finished: Through the Eyes of Hope by Lacy Buchanan with Bethany Jett.
Through the Eyes of Hope is Lacey’s story about her oldest son, Christian, born with a rare birth defect called Tessier cleft palate. His face didn’t fully form together and the division included up through his eyes – he is also blind.
This is a book of hope. Lacey is very honest and raw in sharing her struggles with her complex pregnancy, the issues with the birth defects, and bad news upon bad news fighting a conflicting/confusing health care system, insurance refusing to pay and cruel remarks in public and social media. Her marriage and relationships with friends were strained. Even her faith faltered at times.
Yet love – from God and from Christian – propelled her to advocate for this child, this gift from God.
“God uses small instance to work out greater things…I began to look for God int eh small things, because that seems to be where he shows op in the biggest ways.”
“All we could do when we found ourselves locked inside a tailspin of worry was choose hope and trust God.”
“For the first time, I clearly understood the degree of difference between how God sees us and how we judge others…I wasn’t until I became a parent that I understood what it means when God says we are his children and he loves us like a faith. ..As I gazed at my child’ broken face, anger crept to the surface, His outward appearance didn’t accurately reflect the pureness and perfection of his soul.”
Next time when I stumble, when discouragement robs me of possibilities and I gather pieces of broken expectations – I will remember Christian and Lacey’s story.
Where do we find hope? Love gives us hope.
Where do YOU find hope?
Hi Jean! Hope can be such a fragile thing, dashed in a minute. I think that’s because we hope in things we don’t see, and in the one we can’t see yet.
When people find such rock-hard hope, like this author, it’s a huge encouragement to me. We CAN hope! We have the power of God with us, and he will see us through.
Blessings,
Ceil
Fragile is a great word to describe hope. I think at time we do have a good grasp on hope, then it shatters. Not an even process is it? Lacey’s amazing story though will stay with me for quite a while, giving me hope. Yes we can hope, like you write.
Oh my. Such a story as Christian’s and Lacey’s certainly puts into perspective any complaints I might have, any disappointments or trying situations. Nothing I have faced compares to their ongoing challenge. / Where do I find hope? In the Bible and other reading, through worship and meditation on the attributes of God. That’s not to say I’m always full of hope, but as Martha points out below, just when hope seems gone, God steps in with a fresh supply.
Yes it made me want to hold my grand babies knowing they were healthy and whole. I worked for a while at a Children Hospital in Columbus and took care of infant surgery unit where they repaired many brith defects. The experience though left me with fear that “God might send me a child born with way since he saw I could handle it” not very good theology. Lacey does address that type of thinking and what other people said to her in the book. Brought back that memory. Her faith in God, though strained at times, is amazing and I know her story will help others in all types of situations. God is good!
Jean,
Okay, you won’t believe this but I just wrote a draft of a post on my 2017 word…HOPE! Yep, I read your post and I felt the God-chills 🙂 Thanks for sharing this inspiring and true story. I need to figure out how to add it to my post …Blessings on you, my friend 🙂
Wow that is so cool, Dolly. I love your word – HOPE – very powerful.
What an inspiring story that could bring hope to all of us, Jean. Isn’t it in times when all things around us seem broken, that God steps in in a big way?
Blessings!
It was quote a story to read too. We have a big God who does amazing things, don’t we?