Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: HOPE (joyful, confident expectation in salvation) (03/05/15)
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TITLE: Take Heart! | Previous Challenge Entry
By Marlene Bonney
03/07/15 -
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As Gaspar, Balthasar, and Melchoir gazed down upon the valley, they saw the house above which their Guiding Star was gleaming and their hopes culminated in united praise to God for this Light that had led them so far from their eastern homelands. Three royal intellectuals had given years of their lives to follow something that some would say was a figment of their imaginations. Yet, the sacred scrolls they had perused in preparation for this long journey, along with their vision-filled dreams and their vast knowledge of astronomy, were reassurances that their hopes were well-founded.
We now know that their hopes were realized in the Bethlehem babe-King, Jesus, culminating in their worship and humbly-offered gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the lowly-born infant. Through this encounter, these wise men were reaffirmed in their belief that the Messiah, indeed, had come to save the world. . .
Today, there are great scientists and researchers who devote their careers to find that illusive cure or archeological find, in hope of making our world a better place. Thousands of people purchase lottery tickets in the slim chance of buying their happiness. Sports fans cheer on their favorite teams, hoping they will be victorious. Women hope to improve their appearances through products or procedures. Hunters and fishers load their rifles and poles, hoping to land a trophy buck or fish. Health enthusiasts sweat through exercise programs or diets, hoping for longer life. Mothers suffer through childbearing, hopeful that it will be worth it all. Hope shines in the starry eyes of children on Christmas Eve, hope flickers on the faces of the unemployed as they interview for a job, the middle-aged hope to stay healthy, the elderly hope for longevity.
We mostly hope, though, for the intangibles—the joy, love, and peace of faith in God and eternal life. God plants the seeds of hope in each human being, hoping we will allow Him to make us into all He created us to become. God has given us biblical, historic records of hope in the lives of His people, and we also see hope through His creation; a rainbow in the midst of a storm, the tiny flower blooming in the middle of a drought.
We obtain hope from survivors. We hear of or meet an over-comer, and hope is reaffirmed in our spirits, that we can be that miraculous exception ourselves. Prisoners-of-war who are deprived of basic needs, shut away from for long periods of time, cling to the hope of rescue, and that tiny flickering ray deep within their soul sustains them. Other individuals who overcome in the face of adversity, pain and disease or impossible odds do so because of their hope for victory, God allowing them to go through trying times not only to build their characters and faith, but also to show their peers there is hope for them in similar situations.
As we observe time healing wounds in the ones around us, we hope that it will be so with us. The changing of nature’s seasons gives us hope that through the springs and summers, falls and winters of our life-spans, we can continue to develop and regenerate. And, just as a tree’s leaves burst into vibrant colors, fade, fall and die, becoming fodder for next year’s budding, we hope that our spiritual beliefs will filter down through the ages by our children’s children. Just as a mountain climbers begin their ascent in the hope they will reach the summit, so we journey on the road of life, hoping to reach our goals. When we can no longer hope, our spirits perish. Where hope abides, it keeps us believing when no end is in sight, our will strengthening as impossible odds are surmounted.
The ultimate example of hope comes to us in the life of Jesus Christ, who was born, suffered and died to give us hope for eternal life. God tarries in His return, hoping His prodigal children will return to Him before He can no longer withhold His judgment—may we always remember Gaspar, Balthasar, and Melchoir and all the others who have gone before us, and allow God to restore each of us with their hope!
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I found this to be an enjoyable read.
God bless~