The Gift of Hope

During church this Sunday, the passage my pastor preached on really spoke to me. It was about suffering, and the hope that comes from suffering. There was more to the sermon (the whole thing was wonderful), but this is the relevent part for the nature of this blog. Here is the passage.

Romans 5
Peace and Joy
1Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we[a]have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we[b] rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3Not only so, but we[c] also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

I think about how many of us who have lost our dear babies suffered. I know from personal experiance that it is the most intense suffering I know I have ever felt. It is the heart breaking, hope stealing kind of suffering. I know from reading many of your blogs that you have suffered as well.

I also know that there are many different types of suffering. It can be as simple as being unemployed and the anxiety that goes with it, or as complex as grief. Addiction, divorce, family arguments, sickness, and poverty will all rob us from our joy. I also know about hope.

I haven't got to that part in Mason's story where hope comes in, but I can attest to it's redeeming presense. Many other mothers who have lost their children tell me they just want to help out others, they want to give their child's short life meaning. This is a form of hope. A hope in the fact that their child may be watching from above. Many of the charities that do so much good for so many would not be without suffering happened first. No one wants to suffer, but it is comforting to know what the human spirit through the promise of God. Thank you Father for the gift of Hope.