Several years ago I was having a conversation with a friend who was the director of one of the major counseling centers in our state. We were having a wide-ranging discussion of things going on in the world and coping with daily issues in life when he paused, sighed and said; “You know, I always thought things would get better but in reality they seem to be getting worse.” This perspective by someone who studies the human psyche and spends his life seeking to help people overcome problems with their emotions, mind and spirit stayed with me. I came away from our conversation thinking; “Wow; if he, who’s calling and training in life is to guide people from despair into hope, doesn’t see hope that things are improving that is really discouraging. And this was years before all the effects of the COVID pandemic and the political turmoil that has a growing negative impact on our lives today.
I spent most of my life teaching, preaching and leading
people to find hope. Now I find myself often
needing a ‘booster shot’ of
hope. These days of global pandemic, severe
political turmoil, growing racial unrest and various other unsettling events
have rocked the foundation of hope and faith for many. People who once were very active in
practicing their faith, sharing and leading others to hope and faith are now
questioning their own beliefs. I called
a longtime friend and fellow faithful servant of God as they are dealing with the
torture of watching the love of their life waste away in a slow painful decline
from an incurable debilitating disease. They
confessed, “Pastor, this has truly shaken
my faith!” I have to admit that;
although we had a long deep friendship where they often had come to me, as pastor
and friend, for encouragement and spiritual counsel that I now was at a loss
for words. I simply had to confess that
I also have been having my own struggle with faith.
We both were very familiar with Henry Blackaby’s famous “Experiencing
God” Bible study books and materials. Blackaby speaks of believers coming to a ‘crisis of belief’. God’s invitation for you to work with Him
always leads you to a crisis of belief that requires faith and action. Most believers come to this crossroads and find
faith to press on.
Believers can always find hope in Christ no matter how
difficult the situation may be. He gave
us many promises that restore hope. He
said, “I will never leave you or forsake
you.” (Hebrews 13:5) He told us that
He came that we could live abundantly and
no one could take us from his hand. (John10) Scripture is filled with promises to restore
faith and encourage us no matter how things may look or be in the world. Romans 8 tells us that “All things work together for good to those who love the Lord.” . So those who follow Christ may get knocked
down and their faith may waiver but for most there are always answers to renew
faith and move forward in hope even when the future is uncertain or frightening.
However, there are
those who find they are at the end of their rope of faith and the knot has
slipped loose. There is simply nothing else
on which to lean stand or hold that gives hope or encouragement. They have run out of people to ask or places
to go to find answers. Some of these
people are believers, former believers or people who still want to believe but
life has tumbled inward in such a deep and difficult manner that the words and
methods of the past no longer sooth or give hope. Some are embarrassed or ashamed of their
struggles because they have been looked at as religious leaders or examples of
faith in the past. If they admit their
true struggles and doubts they fear that they will be ostracized or
ridiculed. So they struggle in lonely
silence.
So where do we go when nothing seems to help? When no one seems to have an answer that
really gives us the help and hope we seek?
How do we keep from giving up?
How do we find the strength to go on when there seems to be no
hope?
Recently I ran across a conversation with a husband and wife
that gave me a few handles to grasp that I hope will be helpful. Dr. Brené Brown: professor, lecturer, author,
and podcast host asked her husband, Steve Alley the following research
question; “Do you think that, in general,
people are doing the best they can?” (Rising Strong, 2015, pg. 113) He
responded, “I don’t know. I really don’t.
All I know is that my life is better when I assume that people are doing their
best. It keeps me out of judgment and lets me focus on what is, and not what
should or could be.”
So with apologies to Steve Alley, sometimes when there seems
to be no real answer to the question of hope, the best way to move forward may
be to assume that there is an answer. Is
there any hope? “I don’t know. I really don’t. All I know is that my life is
better when I assume that there is hope. It keeps me out of despair and lets me
focus on making the most of what is, and not what should or could be.”
