May the God of hope fill you with all peace and joy as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. ~ Romans 15:13
For the record, I pretty much have the coolest family in the history of families. Sure, Joseph’s dad might’ve given him a coat of many colors, but my parents hand-delivered a box of cocoa peanut butter flavored cereal to me last week. Win!
Most of us love our families, yes, but I’m so glad I can also say I genuinely like my parents and siblings and have a blast spending time with them.
Example: last Saturday morning two of my siblings, my mom and I sat in a coffeeshop drinking ridiculously sweet beverages and probably sending our blood sugar levels to heaven.
We’re talking and laughing when my mom’s cell phone buzzes. It’s Dad calling from work, and per my mom’s recap of their conversation, Dad hears burst of laughter and says, “Wow, the coffeeshop must be busy.” Mom says, “Um, no, that’d be us.” True, most of the rest of the place had cleared out. The rambunctious brouhaha-ing my dad heard…yep, his own kids.
We’re talking and laughing when my mom’s cell phone buzzes. It’s Dad calling from work, and per my mom’s recap of their conversation, Dad hears burst of laughter and says, “Wow, the coffeeshop must be busy.” Mom says, “Um, no, that’d be us.” True, most of the rest of the place had cleared out. The rambunctious brouhaha-ing my dad heard…yep, his own kids.
Good times.
So, yes, I love hanging out with the fam, and particularly, I crave weekends away at my parents’ house. They live a few miles out of town on a small acreage edged by a cornfield in front and a tree-packed hilly ravine in back. It’s a beautiful setting…especially during autumn when harvest paints the field gold, the ravine in fiery hues.
To me, there’s something extra captivating about untampered “natural” nature. Man-made ponds and parks and pathways are pretty. I’ve nothing against beveled lawns and trimmed bushes.
But I love untamed beauty. Craggy trees splaying from the ground like bony fingers, colors that shift and sway according to season, an unpredictable sky – purples and pinks one night, hazy gray another. Wild grass as unruly as my neglected hair’s split ends. 🙂
And I think I’ve figured out why I’m drawn to the “wild” wild versus “staged” nature – because in the rugged I most keenly feel God’s touch, his divine creativity…His power. There’s much man can do to mold and move the world around us, but we can never manufacture what God, in his awesome power, created in the first place.
Which brings me to hope. Huh? Yes, it’s a random skip, but there’s a connection, I promise.
Last week was my birthday and tucked into a gift bag from my parents was a note card with Romans 15:13 in my mom’s handwriting.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
I’ve read the verse about a gazillion times. It’s a favorite. But something new stood out to me this time – the last line: “…hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
I’m a big proponent of “hope.” Dude, I work for a place called Hope Ministries
But hope – the kind that comforts and steadies, carries us through pain, steels us for battles both physical and spiritual, enflames us with passion – that kind can’t be manufactured, can’t be staged. We can’t make ourselves have that kind of hope. It’s a Holy Spirit-powered current. It means joy, it means peace, it means trust – but it means being plugged into Someone so much more powerful than ourselves. It’s as far from man-made as are mountains from sand boxes.
That’s the kind of hope I want. Not one prettied by my own paltry attempts, but one crafted by God Himself, powered by the Holy Spirit’s presence in my life.
And the beautiful thing is, all I have to do is ask.
How about you? Do you recognize a difference between our human attempts at hope and real Hope? Have you ever been in a situation where God filled you with a supernatural hope? And…surely I’m not the only person out there who craves chocolatey, peanut buttery cereal now and then…?
Comments 6
Loved the post, and yes I love chocolatey peanut buttery cereal…or anything with those combos!
I think this entire writing journey has taken supernatural hope and not my own attempts. I loved the picture. Hope in a bottle. Awesome!
Thanks, Jess! Yes, anything both chocolate and peanut buttery pretty much makes my tummy happy and my cheeks hurt from smiling. 🙂
Melissa, I’m not sure you know this or not, but Romans 15:13 is my key verse for Lakeside Family. Josie clings to hope to help her see past her daughter’s illness to a future for both of them, designed by God.
I dubbed 2011 as the Year of Hope on January 1. Hope was my one word for the year and I’ve been clinging to it like a monkey on a vine as I swing through this crazy journey.
Love your post! Love that you love your family. I’m the same way. I love spending time with my mom. My sister is one of my best friends. And I’m a pretty sweet aunt, if I do say so myself. 🙂
You are a sweet aunt, Lisa! I’ve heard you talk about Lilly (sp?) before and I can hear the love in your voice. Awesome key verse for Lakeside Family! Funny thing is, that verse has been coming at me from so many directions lately…God must be trying to talk to me! 🙂
Hope–that’s my word for the year! I have a “hope” ornament dangling from my desk lamp. And another dangling from my car’s rear view mirror. And another hanging in my bathroom. And God is teaching me about hope in new, deeper ways this year. I’ve glimpsed it in unexpected places … and pulled it close, adding it to the meaning of “hope” in my life.
Such a good word for the year, Beth!!