Psalm 33:20-22 “Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and shield. Yes, our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. Let your mercy, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you.”
Can you believe we are at the end of August already? Where did the summer go? I know I’m going to sound old when I say this BUT time does just seem to go by faster and faster every year.
Even if you are not in “back-to-school” mode, doesn’t it still feel like the rhythm of our days changes this time of year? Autumn with all its colors and chill in the air seems to bring new events for everyone. If you live in a part of the country where you get to experience changing seasons, you’ll probably know what I mean when I say that each new season seems to bring with it a renewed sense of hope. Hope it doesn’t get too cold and icy in the winter; Hope for the signs of new life in the spring; Hope towards rest and relaxation during longer days and warmer nights in the summer and hope for sanity during the upcoming holidays in the autumn (ha-ha!). If you have children in school, despite the groaning, there is probably an underlying sense of hope for the new school year ahead. As human beings we are wired for hope, BUT where should we be placing that hope?
In a recent meeting with my spiritual director, I was faced with the question of hope vs expectation and the gap that occurs between that and reality. When we say we have hope in something, for example in getting what I want for my birthday or that it rains/snows (or doesn’t:) or that I get to go on vacation or that my kids get all A’s this year …..is that the kind of hope we are called to have as we place our hope in the Lord? And at what point does that hope turn into expectation and then what happens when those expectations are not met? Do we still have hope in the Lord?
Now don’t get me wrong, all these things are not bad things in and of themselves and we may include them in our prayer petitions BUT is that the kind of waiting in hope that the Psalmist is referring to? Are our hearts glad in Him? Do we trust in Him ONLY IF He answers all our prayer petitions? Was it really hope we had at all or was it expectations placed on God for wishes we want? And where is the hope when reality sets in?
My spiritual director further pressed into this idea by asking me where do we find our Lord in this gap between our reality and our expectations? After some reflection, it occurred to me that many times we focus on the disappointment that is the gap between reality and what we were expecting. And you may say God is present in that disappointment because he is always walking beside us, and I wouldn’t disagree. However, if we have hope truly in Him, instead of looking at the gap as a void or disappointment of something not realized, we may see the gap as a bridge or space to be filled by Him, with eyes looking up to what is to come NOT on what was missed. His plans are not only bigger and better than our own BUT HE is bigger and better all on his own.
It’s almost like the rungs on a ladder. The first rung is reality and then comes the next few rungs of wishes and expectations. Sometimes we do climb up and those wishes and expectations are met but other times we are in a game of chutes and ladders, and we rise only to fall again. If we only focus on where we’ve fallen, we will lose sight of the hope that is to come in the rungs above where we are, above our present wishes and expectations. We must choose to look up and keep climbing higher toward Him. This who our soul waits for…. This is how we trust and hope…. in the Lord…Himself.
Lifting You in Prayer & Trusting in His Care,
Christine