This is personal. I’ve been in the places described below. The Fridays and the Saturdays. That Sunday.
And I bet you have too.
I’ll never tire of sharing this note. It is truth. Encouraging. It brings hope.
Please read it and then share it with two people you care about. People who need an extra dose of HOPE this week.
❤️ ❤️ ❤️
Hi. Scoot your chair a little closer. And if you’re sitting in a comfy arm chair and scooting isn‘t an option, lean in a little closer.
Imagine that I’m talking softly – almost whispering. The kind of whisper that a mama uses with her baby when she’s trying to soothe her tears. Stroking her head. Patting her back. Hushing her, telling her everything is going to be OK. That she is loved, and she is beautiful, and she is precious.
I’ve got a message of HOPE for you.
Imagine that I’m looking into your eyes — those little irises that are searching for a better day. Wanting to see something different after the next eyelid blink. Wishing they would close for longer than a breath so you could get some sleep.
I see you. And I care.
Maybe that stuff that’s sitting heavy on your shoulders and heart is starting to crack. Little fissures are showing up that are beginning to let out a little steam and moisture. And then it feels like everything is starting to fall apart. There’s a flood coming from behind those eyes and it’s getting tougher to hold the water back.
You look around and wonder, when will my situation be different? When will people I love be different? Where do I fit in? What if?
Dear, sweet friend. Please hear me.
Sunday is coming. There is hope.
All this stuff. The troubles. The worries. You don’t have to carry them. Really. You don’t.
There will always be stuff. Even Jesus told us that. I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world. (John 16:33)
And that’s where our glimmer of hope begins.
In Jesus we have peace. He has conquered the world.
Remember what happened this holy Easter week many years ago…
On Friday, Jesus took all our stuff. Sins. Messes. Worries. Mistakes. Hurts.
They were nailed to the cross with Him.
He bore their weight and their darkness, and they no longer have to sit on our shoulders or in our heart. This was LOVE.
Then Saturday comes.
We wait in the in-between. Living in the both/and.
Nothing has changed. Everything is horrible. But we know that everything will change. And everything will be made good.
There is HOPE.
Then Sunday comes.
When that stone was rolled away from Jesus’ tomb, all our sorrow, cares, fears, disappointments, messes and sins rolled away with it.
Guilt is exchanged for forgiveness.
Worry is exchanged for peace.
Despair is exchanged for the promise that God has good things planned for us.
LOVE delivered HOPE in the miracle of Jesus’ Sunday resurrection from the dead.
Nothing declares who God is more vibrantly than his Easter Sunday resurrection.
He is a Promise Keeper. A Hope Deliverer. A Life Giver.
My peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Don’t let your heart be troubled or fearful. (John 14:27)
I see that flicker in your eyes. A glimmer that says you’re ready to look in a different direction.
How about if you let go of that heaviness.
You release your hurt, your pain,
and your fears into the hands of The One …
who gave up everything on Friday,
who sits in the in-between with you on Saturday,
to bring you Hope on Sunday.
Let me whisper to you again …
Hang on. Sunday’s coming.
There is HOPE.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him. (Romans 15:13)
