Hope

I have hope for a lot of things. I hope that my boys won't wrestle in children's worship. I hope that Penny sleeps through the night without crying. I hope that Gary's sinus cavities from his surgery today heal quickly. I hope that I can find babysitting for all the volunteering I'll be doing in preschool this year. I hope that my kids make great friends. Lots of hope.

There is another kind of hope, the kind had joy attached to it. We hear good news regarding a sick friend and suddenly, we have hope. We get all the paperwork in to adopt and then hear that matches are coming soon, we have hope. We visit our dad in Petoskey at the end of three months in rehab and we have hope. I remember blogging about that visit. I saw a sparkle, and I heard his laugh. He was proud of the changes that he had made and spoke very openly about the journey ahead.

Then again, sometimes we lose hope. I've lost some hope. Dad was asked to leave the transitional house where he was living and receiving more help. He didn't abide by the rules. Currently, he is in Canada with a friend he met there last year named George. My hope? Well, in this situation it is pretty low.

Of course, my mind goes in all sorts of directions. I'm sad, frustrated, angry, worried, and . . . feeling somewhat hopeless. Yet. . . . (this is a good word here!) my hope is not in my dad, his behavior, his location, his decisions, and his choices.

Isaiah 40: 31 "Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. . . . "

My hope is not in the things of this world, but in my Father above! God knows dad. God knows where he is. God knows what he is doing. God knows my mom. God knows every in and out of this whole situation and He can renew my strength, my mom's strength, and even dad's strength. There is no choice that dad can make that surprises God. There is nothing dad can do that will take him out of God's reach.

Do I wish I had better news. Yes, perhaps some day I will. Right now, all we can do is pray. Will you join our prayer army? Let's hope in the Lord!!!