A WORD FOR TODAY, March 11, 2021
Peggy Hoppes
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Blessings. Peg
A WORD FOR TODAY, March 11, 2021
“Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and fill up on my part that which is lacking of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the assembly, of which I was made a servant according to the stewardship of God which was given me toward you to fulfill the word of God, the mystery which has been hidden for ages and generations. But now it has been revealed to his saints, to whom God was pleased to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. We proclaim him, admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus; for which I also labor, striving according to his working, which works in me mightily.” Colossians 1:24-29, WEB
A woman named Hope was sitting in her car with her family at the harbor on a river on a Sunday afternoon. The woman saw a young man drive his car right into the water, but quickly climbed to the roof of his car and called for help. The woman jumped into the water and with a large stick helped the man to shore; her husband helped pull him on the beach. The man was a struggling college student who thought he was useless. Hope said, “You are worth something. You are here, aren’t you?” The young man asked her name. When she answered, “Hope,” he repeated the question. When speaking to the reporter on the scene, Hope said that when he heard her name, “He had a smile on his face. You knew he didn’t want to die.” He just needed a little hope. God sent him Hope.
John Bunyan once said, “Hope is never ill when faith is well.” I’ve talked about my experiences during the storm and compared myself to Elijah with a death wish under the bush in the desert. I wasn’t there, thank goodness, because of my faith. I may have wavered. I may have been angry. I may have been pitiful. But, through it all I knew that it wasn’t as bad as my whining might suggest. I knew others needed help far more than me. I prayed for those who I knew for whom this was a greater struggle.
I laugh now. Our street and a few nearby houses were without electricity for a long time, but the houses across the street had much briefer outages. I can’t tell you how many times I stood at my window, looking across the street with envy, knowing that those families were warm and comfortable, enjoying hot showers and delicious food. They did check on those of us without electricity, offering help. One lady felt so bad that she had electricity while we did not, that she turned off all her lights in sympathy.
I may have stood there by my window pitying myself for the frustrations of the storm, but I also had hope. Those lights reminded me that the lights in my house would go on again. Those lights also reminded me that if I really needed help, it was there just feet from my house. I knew God was with us; some things happened that were actually silver linings in that dark time. While I was miserable, God was still working and making good things happen. I can see them now, but it is hard to see goodness when we are drowning.
The man didn’t drown. He obviously didn’t want to die even though he drove his car in the harbor because he got out of his car and called for help. Yet, even after being saved he still struggled with his life and his future. It was only after he was reminded that there is always hope that he smiled. Hope saved him, both literally and spiritually. I don’t know what has happened to that man, but I want to imagine that Hope and her family became friendly with him, to encourage him and help him see his value in the world. While it is unlikely we’ll be sitting in our car with our family at a harbor on a river on a Sunday afternoon when someone who thinks he is without value drives into the water, we can be hope to those who cross our path. We can share the light of Christ so that those who are in darkness can see that there is hope.
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