Find Your Hope

“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain” (Heb. 6:19 NIV)

Suffering is not the worst thing in this world.

Suffering without hope is.

Hope easily defined is a feeling of trust or a desire for a certain thing to happen. From the new testament, the Greek word is elpis, which means expectation, trust, and confidence. The root word elpo is what captures my attention. This means to anticipate with pleasure and to welcome. I love this definition, and I now have this root word deeply rooted in my soul. It is an anchor as I face the marching orders of my day, looking past the struggles, anticipating with pleasure the good future God has for me.

An anchor holds a ship in place in the midst of tumultuous seas. Oh, how I feel this anchor in my soul! It secures my feet so I’m not swayed by the waves that crash over me. Have you ever been knocked over by a wave in the ocean? It is fierce! It can take your breath away, and you have to fight to get up from under its pressure.

Hope can be fierce, too! Hope is the push we feel at our backs to get up when it would be easier to just swim down. I’m no stranger to heartache. I’ve lived what feels like ten different lifetimes of loss and felt pain so deeply I couldn’t breathe. But then came hope.

Hope doesn’t erase the pressure, but it provides a safe place “behind the curtain” to push back through to the surface. Grief comes in waves, and sometimes those waves catch you off guard, stealing your breath as they take you under the water. This happened to me recently when I thought I saw my mother, with whom I haven’t spoken in sixteen years, walk right past me. I still don’t know if it was actually her or not, but the effect was the same.

I cried for three days. I wanted to swim down. But hope pulled me back to the light in my life and the expectation of good things to come in the future.

My hope is in the presence of Jesus, alive and active in my life, and I would have given up long ago without him. I cultivated this hope in my life by simply seeking the Lord. We often overcomplicate this concept. There is no magic formula for spending time alone with God. I felt like I was missing the mark for years because I did not have a quiet time early in the morning. I have found that God is available to me at any time and not just before sunrise. I also did not have a checklist for the perfect morning quiet time. I just got quiet with him and talked to him as a friend. I sought him out as a friend and as a father, and he showed up, bringing his presence, peace, joy, and never-ending hope. This hope is never-ending because at times it seems I’ve lost it, I lift my eyes to where my help comes from. (Ps. 121.1-2) When I am too weak to lift my eyes toward Him, He is the lifter of my head (Ps. 3:3)

Suffering is not the worst thing in this world. Suffering without hope is.

Find your hope, the hope that comes from knowing and seeking Jesus.

Lord, thank you for the gift of hope you offer us. Help us lean into your promise and trust you. Please help us look to you for help daily, especially when we are weak and disheartened. Amen.

Stephanee Howell spends her days mostly as caregiver, teacher, and referee to her three children. She writes for her own personal therapy and for the love of writing. Her  favorite hobby is crocheting with friends. Her mission is to point them to a relationship with God, as well as to know and make him known. Her fuel comes from the Holy Spirit, a deep love of family, and numerous cups of coffee a day. Reminding herself that stress is not a fruit of the spirit, she depends on positive perspective, patience, and enjoying the moment.

Photograph © Faris Mohammed, used with permission