Hope Springs

Happy Spring! Sunshine abounds here and beautiful flowers are bursting into bloom. My nephew and I picked a wonderful bouquet together the other day, and our Easter was full of sunshine. I got to attend the sunrise service at Mt. Gilead Bible Conference and sat spell bound by the sun’s rays as it lit up the sky. I catch more sunsets than sunrises 😆 and in over 45 years of attending the service, I can only remember a handful of clear mornings. So this sunrise was especially poignant.

Recently a friend texted me the phrase “hope springs eternal.” It’s been running through my mind in connection with Easter. The text was in response to my sharing of good news. My fellow cancer fighting friend who recently got off the ventilator had sent me a voice memo thanking me (& all of us) for our prayers. It was a tremendous relief to hear her voice. Hope did spring eternal as I felt reassured that she’s on the road to recovery!

Easter is a time for reflecting on hope. My belief in the resurrection means I always have Hope. No matter how bleak things look, how dark life is, the Light breaks forth bringing Joy. Death doesn’t have the upper hand as it’s been defeated. I felt this truth throughout my being as I watched the sun rise on Easter morning.

My 8 year old niece recently noticed a sign on my refrigerator I made which says, “throw kindness around like confetti”. She and I chatted about what it means and it got me to thinking about how we can spread hope to others as we go about our everyday life.

There’s an encourager who greets me at the community pool where I swim when I use the handicap entrance to get in the water. I don’t know his story but it’s clear he could be bitter, as his wheelchair sits behind him and the oxygen tube he’s using floats in the water. He holds onto the side of the pool, and uses his position as a gate keeper to thank folks for coming and say, “God bless you.” I hear His laugh reverberating over the water as he chats with swimmers coming and going. This week he rejoiced with me in my cancer free status and promised to pray against reoccurrence (the possibility of which is always hovering in the background for a fighter).

I feel the kindness of his words and the cheer from his laughter and wonder how I can spread God’s hope too. Today it was in encouraging a fellow fighter. Her situation is bleak. Miraculously she’s still fighting long past what we all expected. Today she was discouraged wanting healing now instead of eternal hope. Her pain is real and what she’s experiencing is excruciating. I sought to honor that in our conversation and share hope.

When Jesus, an innocent, was beaten and nailed to a cross and put into a grave all felt hopeless in the dark of the night until sunrise on Sunday. When the disciples faced an empty tomb, their perspectives changed. I don’t pretend to completely understand God’s miracle of reversing situations but I hold onto, “in all things God works for the good of those who love Him… (Rom 8:28)”.

We get to partner with Him when He loves others through us. There are many options to consider that He can use to increase hope. Encouraging text messages are great, voice memos can bring special meaning as it can help to hear someone’s voice. A phone call, FaceTime call, or coffee date can allow for in depth connection. Snail mail is still appreciated and can be saved to be reread. An act of service like a meal, a task completed, or errand run can be so helpful to lift someone’s spirits. Gifts are wonderful- handmade or purchased, funny or sentimental. Thankfully we live in a time where you can send a meal or groceries to anyone anywhere with apps from your phone or drop ship a thoughtful gift purchased online.

So how can God use us to spread His hope today? When we ask, we’ll have vision to see a need, wisdom on how to help coax a frown into a smile. May He give us ways to uplift others that they might see His Son’s light rising in us and spreading the warmth and power of His love.

Since it really is more “blessed to give than receive” (Acts 20:35), our cup of joy will overflow as we give it away!