What Happened to Hope?
I rolled up early one morning last week to one of my favorite running routes on the U.S. Army post where I work. It’s a fairly straight, flat road lined with mature shade trees next to a huge field. Just on the other side of the trees there’s a little creek. This particular morning, a light fog blanketed everything. It was the picture of serenity.
However, despite the setting, I started my run brooding over a stressful situation at work that seemed to have no feasible solution. But then I heard something.
Over the hum of the nearby interstate, an unseen group of basic trainees was calling out cadence. I pictured them running in formation as they chanted together at the top of their lungs:
🎶“Everywhere we go-oh, people wanna know-o, who we are, where we come from, so we tell them who we are…”🎶
These aren’t basic trainees, but I imagine it looked something like this.
As the sound of the soon to be soldiers faded into the distance, my sinking thoughts were buoyed by a fresh revelation:
If they can do that, I can do this!
The majority of basic trainees are miles from home—many for the first time— and dealing with a new “normal”, one where drill instructors make ALL the decisions. Homesick and uncertain what’s coming next, these brave young people must stick together to survive the next 10 weeks. Their Esprit de corps, the devotion they have toward each other and the group as a whole, is literally their life-line.
Perhaps the title of this piece should be, “What happened to hope?” Okay, I already changed it; my first one was pretty lame. 😀
Anyway, this is what I heard in the soldiers’ chanting: hope for the future. But for the world at large this idea is no longer in vogue.
It’s painfully clear these days that (to many) hope is like a windup toy with an ever-weakening spring. A quick check at thesaurus.com confirms it. Synonyms for hope include, anticipation and expectation, but also fool’s paradise and pipe dream.
However, for the Christian, hope is as certain as the character of God.
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.
Hebrews 10:24-25
I love the metaphor, “spur one another on.” It’s like every believer is calling out in formation with all their might, “MORE LOVE AND GOOD DEEDS!!”
These days there are plenty of reasons for a child of God to lose hope, but none of them are good ones.
Now is not the time for swerving, by God! And I mean that literally, not sacrilegiously. 😁🙏
Here are a few more of my favorite “hold on to hope” scriptures. Please share some of yours, if you’d like.
“The one who calls you is faithful, and He will do it.” 1 Thessalonians 5:24
“Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior, and my God.” Psalm 43:5
“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31
Hold on to HOPE!
David Duncan is an elementary music teacher in Oklahoma. He has a bachelor’s degree in music from Cameron University, and a master’s degree in religious education from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is currently pursuing a second master’s in educational leadership.
David is an ordained Southern Baptist minister. He was a full-time minister for 14 years before becoming a teacher in 2004.
He enjoys writing music. In addition to his 39 self-published songs, he also has written 215 blog posts found at the link below. You can find his music videos found at the link below.
Blog: https://davidsdailydose.org/
Music Videos: https://youtube.com/channel/UC3HDgrpsLaCYywrOvknFygA
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