DISCLAIMER: There was supposed to be a blog last week, but I'll admit that it had been so long that I forgot the password to log in to blog on this site! So if you came expecting, I apologize for leaving you hanging.
"Never let go of hope. One day you will see that it all has finally come together. What you have always wished for has finally come to be. You will look back and laugh at what has passed and you will ask yourself . . . 'How did I get through all of that?'" - Unknown
We've been looking at the concept of hope for the last two weeks now. Last week, we looked at hope defined as faith. And the discussions at the end of service were amazing! It was so good to hear people share their thoughts on faith. But it was even better to sit and hear people be honest and open as they also shared of their struggles and frustrations. I hope (no pun intended) that you were reminded of Job and David this week - and how even these men of God struggled and found it difficult to have faith sometimes. But in the end, they persevered and God showed himself faithful in their lives.
This week, we looked at hope defined as desire. I will admit that I find myself apprehensive whenever I speak about desire. It's such a complicated word. There seems to be a disconnect for most people when it comes to the concept of desire. But why? We can spend hours on end talking to strangers about things we're passionate about (i.e. sports, politics, current events, hobbies, entertainment, etc). But when it comes to verbalizing the desires of our heart , we find ourselves at a loss for words. Something's wrong with this picture. If our earthly passions are able to be shared, why do our spiritual passions get hidden in the darkest recesses of our heart?
I heard a lot of great reasons for why we keep them hidden: We don't open up to people about stuff like that unless we really know them, We are afraid that if we speak them out loud, we risk them never happening. The reactions of people when they hear our desires. Lack of faith that those desires can ever be realized. All understandable reasons. But when you hide your dreams, it becomes easier to ignore them. And if you ignore them long enough, they die.
David wrote that God wants to grant us the desires of our heart. So the question is: What do you want? What do you dream about so intensely that it wakes you up? What keeps you awake at night? Can you answer that question? Do you yearn for something? Do you believe God wants to grant that desire? And are you doing your part to see that desire become a reality?
God wants to see us dream big. Nothing we imagine is going to shock God by its enormity. So dream it. Pray for it. And go for it. And see what God does! You will be able to see the big picture and see God's hand at work in helping you towards that desire. And you won't be like the author of the quote at the beginning of this blog who wondered how he got through it all - you will take joy at the realization of God's involvement from the very beginning!
I am excited about the changes happening in Element right now. Let's continue to dream big and expect the impossible from God for our group. Thanks for being a part of this journey as we grow together in our desire to know God more. Take care. See you next Thursday!
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