Hope. Wish. When we make a wish upon a star or as we blow out candles on a cake it can often be for something that seems impossible. Something that is incredibly unlikely to happen. Hope however, is looking for something which is possible to come to fruition.
This time of year, many of celebrate the birth of Jesus, I think about hope. What would have allowed a mom to keep walking? What would have allowed her to settle in a manger? What would have given her the strength to push through labor that night? Hope.
She had hope that her child would be born healthy. She had hope she would make it through delivery healthy. Hope is the only thing that could overcome the fear and pain. Deep down she had to know her situation was temporary. There was a possibility she could make it through the turbulence and hold her child in perfect peace.
When I am going through the challenges in my own life, I find strength in hope. It helps to recall Mary and how deep seeded her hope in things to come must have been. If it was possible for Mary and her baby to be healthy and for her son to become the King of Kings… How could anything I am trying to do good for me, my family, or my community ever be impossible?
This sense of hope does not make me think I will win the lottery, become a millionaire overnight, or even have every heart’s desire. These are the type of unlikely desires that are better defined as wishes. When I dig deep, these wishes live at the surface. When I dig deeper as to WHY I have these wishes it comes from a place of wanting to help myself, my family, or my community. But these wishes just would seem like half-baked easy ideas to solve our problems.
What do I want for myself? What do I want for my family? What do I want for my community?
Asking these questions help me dig deeper. They help me go beyond a wish. What I want for my world is much bigger than financial security. It is much more than the new gadget. It is much more than the nice clothes. What I want for all of us can be summed up by three words describing Mary's first night with her son.
Peace. Love. Joy.
Hope has allowed me to place worry and fear in God’s hands where it belongs. I hope this holiday season you find that with God’s help all things are possible. Place your fears, anxiety, and stress with Him to find Peace. Look at the wonderful blessings of people in your life to find Love. Look at the small things going well to find Joy.
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