Hope

I have been challenged to think about hope this week. I attended the funeral of a close friend who passed way too early in life and was also informed that a close member of my family has cancer. In situations like this I entertain the question, "Where is the Hope?" Suffering and fairness do not go hand in hand and our sense of fairplay is brought into question whenever suffering hits close to home. This is another example of how God wants to relate to us, in a very personal and intimate nature. He wants one on one relationship and even though suffering is horrible it challenges us to grow in our relationship with God. We find the psalmist in this predicament in Psalm 73. Basically what he says is that while he may doubt God's existence it does not change the fact that God does exist and God does love and God is involved with His people. Hope. That is the reality. My feelings do not enter into the absolute truth that God does exist and God does love me. Hope. My heart is hurting and suffering is directly in my life. As I wade through my doubts hope is found in a God that can handle my doubts, in whose existence does not depend on my belief. I don't know if I will ever understand pain and suffering but God's is a shoulder that at the end of the day I want to cry on. Hope.