In Defense of Hope by Misty Harper-Anderson

In Defense of Hope

by Misty Harper-Anderson

As I sit here, I have tears in my eyes. Someone I love is incredibly ill. His body has been through a lot in the past five years. Three different types of cancer. Multiple medications and treatments. And now…the virus that’s turned our world on its head. He is strong, some might even say stubborn. I am hoping that his mental strength will lend itself to his physical strength.

And there it is. That word. Hope.

Can I be hopeful without feeling particularly hopeful? Or is that an unresolvable paradox?

I read recently that followers of Jesus often struggle with shame when they aren’t feeling hopeful. I am a follower of Jesus. I am a pastor, someone who has the privilege of studying scripture as part of my vocation. Do I experience shame if I’m not feeling hopeful? Or can I trust in hope even if I am weary and burdened and can’t see how things are going to work out?

The better question is: Where does my hope come from?

I’ve been praying Psalm 121:1-3 a lot lately:

I lift my eyes to the mountains—

            Where does my help come from?

My help comes from the LORD,

            The Maker of heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot slip—

            He who watches over you will not slumber;

God doesn’t sleep. He doesn’t grow tired or weary. My burdens or the burdens of those I love are never too much for him. 

Instead, Jesus invites us to allow him to carry all that weighs heavily on us.

Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light. – Matthew 11:28-30, NLT

 This is what it comes down to. This world is changing at an exceedingly rapid pace. My hope comes from the God of the Bible. He is the God who is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.

My hope is not from the things of this world. Leaders. Wealth. Career. Possessions. 

Even the people whom I love and respect the most are the bound to do something at some point that will disappoint me. I will do and say things that disappoint or, even, irritate them. It’s simply a fact of being a human person.

But I can look back at Old Testament stories and see how God revealed his faithfulness. Sometimes it took centuries. Moses, for instance, never was able to see the nation of Israel claim the Promise Land. But he led them for forty years with the hope that God was going to do what he said he was going to do. He could look back at what he knew of Israel’s history and see how God worked through it. 

I can look back over the course of my life and now see, in many circumstances, how God was at work.

While I have been in challenging situations, most of the time I couldn’t see how any of it was going to turn out. But God could.

Because he has been faithful to me over the past four decades, I believe he will be for whatever time I have in this world and in the eternal world to come. Not everything has been or will be sunshine and daisies. Not everything has worked out like I’d planned. Yet, God has been with me through it all.

This is where my hope comes from…from the One who created me, this world and everything in it.

— By Misty Harper- Anderson

Bio

Misty Harper-Anderson is a wife, mom, pastor, aspiring writer and on the path to church planter. She is an introverted extrovert who enjoys coffee and is equally content with friends as she is alone with a good book. As someone from and a mother in a blended family, her heart is to bring peace and unity to relationships. You can find her on social media @mistybygrace and at www.mistybygrace.com.