The Foundation of Love - Faith and Hope
A few weeks ago I got to lead my home congregation as we wrapped up 2022 and looked towards 2023. Here is what Holy Spirit led me to share to build faith and hope in 2023.
As we jump into 2023, I have a very important question for you: do you have a favorite Star Wars character? I was recently asked this all important question by a friend of mine. And while identifying second place would be a challenge, first place is easy for me, no contest.
So who is the clear-cut winner when it comes to Star Wars character ranking for me? It's Leia of course.
She’s a general, and a princess who takes over her own rescue and has zero issues calling out evil force-wielding cyborgs - even when they are her father- and has no trouble putting stuck-up, half-witted, scruffy looking nerf herders in their place.
While there are quite a few amazing things about Leia, I did not realize until recently just how much she is driven by hope.
When she sends her message to Obi-Wan Kenobi she says, ‘help me Obi Wan Kenobi you’re my only…. HOPE.”
In Rogue One when she is handed the plans for the Death Star she is asked, “What is it they have sent us?” She responds with one word: “Hope.”
In Episode VIII The Last Jedi when all seems lost and the Rebellion is backed into the corner Admiral Holdo reminds the ragged remnants of the rebellion that Leia would say, “ Hope is like the sun. If you only believe it when you see it you'll never make it through the night.”
And Leia’s emphasis on hope and my love for her is super ironic for me. Because while I have admired Leia for her decisiveness, and her ability to get things done I personally have always had a complicated relationship with hope. All too often I have found myself hoping for the world to be right this side of heaven and ending up disappointed. I have found hope to be elusive or misplaced or faltering and messy.
And yet despite my challenging relationship with hope, I always find myself going back to a posture of believing that Jesus is at work in this world and things can be made new in Him. I keep returning to the well of hope. After all that should be the default posture for people of faith.
Frequently when hope is mentioned in scripture we see it mentioned alongside faith and love. Let’s take a look at some examples and pay special attention to the times that faith, hope, and love are mentioned.
In I Thessalonians 1:3 it reads, “We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Galatians 5:5-6 reads, “For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.”
In Romans 5 Paul challenges his readers by writing; “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”
So faith, hope, and love seem to be entwined. And weare told in Scripture that of this list love is the greatest of these - after all God is love and it is supposed to be our defining characteristic as people of faith. However, because of their interconnectedness, I believe that perhaps a weakness in one area of faith, hope, and love, our spiritual growth and effectiveness in one area can be limited by deficiencies or immaturity in the others. Like an athlete, who skips leg day, we become weak in one area of our relationship with Jesus; it prevents us from growing as deep in our walk as we could otherwise. In other words faith and hope are key components in us loving well.
Faith
Take a moment and picture a baby or toddler being tossed in the air by their parent. Do you have that image in your mind? Happy, smiling, laughing. I remember a time, years ago, my husband Ted and his brother spent 30 minutes or more throwing my eldest daughter back and forth between them. And this wasn’t just a gentle toss. They were standing in my in-laws great room and launching her 15 feet across the tile floor. And like most kids who enjoy a good game of toss my daughter was having the time of her life. She did not have a care in the world and was unconcerned for her safety. She had complete faith that her uncle and dad would catch her.
Perhaps this is the picture of childlike faith heralded by Jesus in the gospels.
In Mark 10 we are told that the people were bringing Jesus children so that He could bless them. The disciples, Jesus's followers, were convinced that their rabbi was far too important for such things, and tried to turn the parents and thus their children away. Jesus of course stops them and proclaims, “Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.’
There is a lot of deep meaning in these seemingly simple words. Children were not seen as anything special or cherished in the first century world. Although the Torah and the New Testament view of children as blessings were a drastic departure from the culture at the time, Jesus’s insistence that his disciples approach the kingdom of heaven with the humility and faith of a child was mind-blowing for the men who had at this point grown used to Jesus saying paradigm shifting things.
How then do we as teens and young adults and grown-ups who have the aches and pains and emotional scars that come with our human existence approach the kingdom of God with faith like a child?
Because, this isn’t just a nice thought, it's an imperative. Jesus tells us unless we receive the kingdom of God like a child, we will not enter it.
Faith is defined as complete trust or confidence in someone or something.
This is the kind of faith my daughter had in her dad and uncle and the type of faith we are called to as followers of Jesus. How do we nurture the type of faith that we trust our Heavenly Father so much that we trust Him to catch us no matter how crazy the assignment He gives us might be?
Hope
The hope of scripture is not like we use the word hope in conversation. When we say things like “I hope it won't rain or I hope my team wins,” it’s wishful thinking.
The hope we have - rooted in faith of what God has done in the past - is confident assurance in God’s promises of the future.
Hope is also not blind optimism. And yet we often think of hope and being sunshine and rainbows. It is part of why I have always struggled with hope, I am not really an optimistic person by nature. Some folks might call me a pessimist. I and others like me prefer the label realist, thank you very much. But this idea that realism is in fact the opposite of hope could not be further from the truth. Hope is rooted in reality - it is not the opposite of it.
This idea has been fleshed out by Jim Collins, the author of Good to Great. He calls this principle The Stockdale Paradox named after James Stockdale who spent years tortured as a prisoner during the Vietnam War. In his interview, Stockdale lays out the fact that the optimists were the least likely to survive the unimaginable conditions. But those who faced the reality of their current challenges with hope that things might get better in the undetermined future, were able to survive. The optimist would set completely made-up timelines, like “we will be out by Christmas!” When that didn’t happen, they said “we will be out by Easter” And when that didn’t happen over and over again, they died of a broken heart. They died because of an absence of hope, in the pit of despair.
The last few years have been a buffet for feeding the monster or despair - which is the antithesis of hope.
In her book the Other Side of Hope Danielle Strickland lays out four types of despair. After all, if we are going to fight for hope it’s best to know what we are fighting against.
-Cognitive despair is thoughts of hopelessness, guilt, worthlessness, learned helplessness with limited positive expectations for the future. When we are suffering from cognitive despair we assume an antagonistic attitude about others and interpret their actions as being against us.
-Emotional despair: includes irritability, hostility, loneliness, and apathy. When suffering from emotional despair conflicts are high and relationships are difficult.
-Behavioral despair: involves risky, reckless and unhealthy behavior. This includes those using self-destructive behaviors to try and cope with other types of despair.
-Biological despair: when our bodies' stress reactive systems are no longer functioning. When we cannot regulate ourselves physiologically this can fuel the other types of despair and create a vicious cycle.
And then there is the emerging science on social despair. This feeling of despair that can be caused by collective trauma and spread through the 24 hour news cycle and social media.
Despair’s best friend is cynicism- the loss of hope in others.
The problem with cynicism is that it creates a shortcut from the belief that people can't change without Jesus, to people can’t change period.
With that in mind, how do we combat despair and cynicism and cultivate hope and faith as we head into the New Year?
Ways to Cultivate Faith and Hope
1.Take action
Hebrews chapter 11 is known as the hall of faith. And as you read the chapter faith looks an awful lot like action.
We are reminded of the faith of Noah who acted upon God’s warning of rain and flood by building an ark.
We are reminded of the faith of Rahab whose actions saved her family when the Isrealites took Jericho.
We are reminded of the bold actions of Moses's mom and sister which spared his life, led to his palace upbringing and set him up to lead God’s people out of Egypt.
And the list goes on and on.
So, what does this mean for you and me? I don’t think these are just nice stories that we are supposed to look at and say “that was nice for them.” I think our faith, like their faith, is supposed to lead to action.
This isn't about our worth or worthiness or salvation but we all intrinsically know the importance of actions, we even say - actions speak louder than words.
The Bible teaches that each believer is given by Holy Spirit - gifts or talents. If you don’t know your spiritual gift I Corinthians 12 and Romans 12 are great places to start. Our gifts are indicators of how and where we should step out in faith.
But whether you know your gifts already or not, your calling, the unique thing God has put you on earth to do is something that most of us can identify with some self-reflection. What are the things you are naturally and supernaturally good at that can be used to build up the body of Christ? Those things are likely tied to your spiritual gifts.
Faith requires action and if you are trying to determine where God is calling you to act in faith your gifting is a good place to start.
Sometimes we know exactly what we need to do or at least the direction we should be heading and the biggest obstacle in moving forward with boldness is fear. Fear will keep us on the sidelines, or maybe worse yet quit too soon because we assume that a lack of immediate success is an indication of our inability or worse that God is not in it. Fear can take on many forms. Excuses, imposter syndrome, an artificially full calendar, and procrastination can all be forms of fear. And the voice of fear is best silenced by action to the contrary. Which means if you find fear holding you back, your best way of overcoming it is by doing it scared.
2 Timothy 1:7 NLT says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”
Where is God calling you to step out in faithful action this coming year?
2. Space For Grief
Cultivating faith and hope also requires that we give ourselves and others space for grief. Our society is obsessed with being happy. When people ask how we are we automatically tell them fine. We push past or push down negative emotions.
This of course was the message of Pixar’s Inside Out. While the character “Joy” is trying to make everything happy, it’s the character “Sadness” that brings help.
If we are to bring help and light to this world, we need to acknowledge and grieve the sad state it is in. If we want to have hope in the goodness of God we must grieve the destruction that sin has ravaged on this world. If we want to more firmly grasp the restoration, the very hope that Jesus brings, we need to first mourn the hurt and injustice we have experienced and we have inflicted.
We are often looking for hope to rescue us from our despair, but authentic hope begins with an honest acknowledgement that in so many ways this world is not as it should be. Only then can we work through the hurt to find hope on the other side. Where do you need permission and space to grieve so that you can find hope amidst the mess?
Unless you think this is some pop psychology advice, Paul himself called the Corinthians to godly sorrow. 2 Corinthians 7 verse 10 reads: “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. “
Salvation, the pinnacle of the hope that Jesus brings, is on the other side of this grieving process. If we just cover up or bury our grief, it's like putting a Band-Aid on a festering wound. Instead it must be opened up, it must see the light of day and then true hope is possible. Where do you need to allow yourself to feel sorrow?
3. Bring the deep things into the light
A few years ago on our way to the Grand Canyon my family and I stopped at the Grand Canyon Caverns. Have you ever visited such a place? Without the electricity and lights running into the caverns it would be completely and utterly dark. You literally could not see your hand in front of your face. Above the caverns was the desert where blazing sun illuminated every inch of the surface but underneath in the caves it was dark and cold and lonely.
And many of us live our lives like that.
-We tell people we are fine.
-We fail to confess our sins.
-We are unwilling to share the most vulnerable parts of ourselves because of how others may weaponize it.
We keep all this and more in the deep cave of our hearts.
But on the surface what we show people barely hints at what's below. much like the signs advertising the caverns which are probably only noticed by a few observant tourists as they drive by. And when I say we, I am chief among us in failing to be truly vulnerable. With my personality I am absolutely terrified of being used or manipulated and true vulnerability means risking being hurt. However authentic, lived out hope can't develop in a compartmentalized life.
If you're like me, whether a lot or a little, sharing your deepest insecurities and the questions that keep you up at night gives others the ammunition to hurt you, deeply. But if people don't know the ugly parts of you, then they don’t know all of you and you can't be fully loved.
And the beautiful thing is our Jesus already knows you like that. And loves you. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. You are not the ugly parts of you, those are the parts that have been scarred by sin. God made you and you are good but sin has left its mark.
However, in addition to having the love of a Savior who first loved us, faith and hope are built in community with others. Others who know you and can help you bring the dark things to light. If you don't have a relationship like that, it's time to start taking the steps to develop those relationships. Seek mentorships and accountability partners and therapists and friends who get to see and love all of you. If we are going to grow in faith and hope, we have to have folks who know us well enough to speak truth in our lives. It will take effort, for some of us more than others - but almost all things of value require effort and perseverance.
4. Let go of the illusion of control
So I can be a little bit of a control freak. For example, I create spreadsheets for my vacations, sometimes complete with sub spreadsheets for different aspects of our travels. And if I'm not careful this practice can set me up to spend much of my vacation in despair. Another aspect of despair that researchers have uncovered is that the more rigid we are in our beliefs about what needs to and should happen in order for us to be successful; the more likely we are to experience despair. So if I am rigid about my vacation going according to the plan, a.k.a. the spreadsheet, I am more likely to experience despair . If I am convinced that if my political candidate doesn't win the election our nation is in ruin, I am more likely to experience despair. If I believe that I will never be fulfilled without a spouse, or that my business will never be successful unless the economy improves, I am far more likely to experience despair. So what's the solution? We need to practice the art of “letting go” of shrugging things off of saying oh well. And I know, trust me I know that's easier said than done. One way I try to encourage my students -and myself - to practice the art of letting go is to tell them that if it's not going to matter in five years, they shouldn't let it upset them for more than five minutes. So you can be upset when things don't go your way, but if it's not gonna matter in five years, it doesn't get more than five minutes of your time.
We have to let go of our need for control and our expectations for life to go exactly as planned in order to experience true faith and hope. Because hope is messy and uncontrollable, and shows up in very unexpected ways beyond what we could predict or maneuver our way into. We have to loosen our grip because our perceived control is often an illusion and hope is often found in the disruption of our plans.
5. Embrace Joy
I'm fortunate in that my parents were great examples of what it means to live like Jesus. And my dad who is no longer with us was a no-nonsense former Marine who although not perfect modeled generosity and character. But what many people remember about him, what many folks discussed at his funeral was his silliness. From high school pranks which involves picking up and moving a coach’s car, to his propensity to hide Christmas gifts within other gifts only to shout “you missed one” with a gleam in his eye as we reached what we thought was the end of our unwrapping to his performance of the Fig Newton song, the joy he displayed in these little moments were just like a kid.
And that is something we as adults are prone to miss out on in our faith - the joy and happiness that comes from following Jesus with the faith of a child. Yes we must grieve but genuine joy should also be a part of who we are as people of faith.
In modern times it has become quite in style to point out the difference between joy and happiness. Joy is painted as a deep sense of contentment despite the circumstances while happiness is painted as temporary and fleeting and of this world. But in Matthew 5 when Jesus lays out what is known as the beatitudes He calls those who are meek, and those who are merciful and those who are peacemakers and those who are pure of heart blessed. And the Greek word translated blessed, makarios (ma-car-e-os) was originally translated as happy. So while I totally understand what folks are trying to do when they point out the difference between joy and happiness as they challenge us to seek deep seeded contentment as opposed to a temporary and fleeting feeling, I wonder if we are splitting hairs just a bit.
I wonder if faith like a child means we are supposed to be happy and joyful and a little more carefree. I certainly know at times I take things far too seriously. I wonder if child-like faith means we are to have more of the wide-eyed hope of the kids who sneak through the back of the wardrobe into Narnia. Sure as adults we should learn to delight in mature things like living with gratitude and mercy. But we can also find joy in simple things because we are the sons and daughters of a good, good Father. Who has given us marvelous beautiful things like sunrises and sunsets and butterflies and beaches and warm chocolate chip cookies and dad-jokes and the laughter of toddlers and a whole slew of other marvelous creations that spark wonder and happiness.
How can you feed hope and faith and by finding joy in the little and big things of 2023?
Wrap up
As we look to the New Year, where do you have hope of God moving and working? Not hope built from baseless optimism but hope built on faith that God has moved mountains and He wants to do it again through and in you? Maybe take a moment and write it down. Don’t rush past this moment.
I am excited to see how God will do more than you ask or imagine in 2023. I have been praying that God lays bold things on your heart for the coming year. Don’t let fear keep you from writing down what Holy Spirit is calling you to. May God direct your steps as you live out your faith with confident hope in the New Year.
