A Reason to Hope

If you are like me, there are times when you just need a reason to hope, a way to look beyond the myriad problems and cares of this life, and a just a bit more encouragement than usual. Sometimes it is because you are tired, occasionally because of illness and still other times when you feel a sense of personal failure. It doesn't matter if it is brought on by internal or external factors: you are just at a loss.

I hate to admit such times, as my entire life up until the last one or two years, I have been an A+++ personality. Sure, things bothered me, hurt me, and weighed me down, but in my generation, "real men" were not expected to show emotion, fatigue or disappointment. It was our job to defend everything and everyone but one - ourselves. We were expected to control the situation, not be controlled by it. We were to succeed for God, family and country. Let me tell you, such expectations were exhausting, depleting and frankly, irrational. Still, most of my generation did exactly those things, or at least we tried.

In so doing, we genuinely missed out in many ways. Well, I should speak for myself. I missed out. In not showing my concern I was deemed heartless even by members of my family. By placing mission before individuals I was even considered rude and aloof. The result was that I was misunderstood, isolated and viewed as a loner and curmudgeon. Of course, all this did was create a vicious circle in which I distrusted others, withdrew and appeared even more curmudgeonly!

Poor, poor, pitiful me, right? Unfortunately, it was even worse than that. There was no self-pity. There wasn't much of anything. There was a darkness of soul and spirit that was at times crushing. There was a sense of loneliness that can only be described as lethal. There was no one to blame, because for my generation, it was just the way it was. It was true for my father's generation as well, for he had taught it to me, and he was an excellent teacher. It was the role of the man. "Real men" didn't complain. We were doers. Like my father, I did what was expected without regret.

What a shame. I missed out on so much. Oh, success was not a problem, or maybe it was. In constantly striving for the next mountain to climb I continued to allow the A+++ personality to rule over personal relationships. I didn't know it, but even if I ha
d I would have made an excuse. I was the "bread winner," and I intended to be the "best" I possibly could. Then, after years and years of it, the body broke down.

It has been on a long, continual downward spiral ever since. High blood pressure, hyperlipidemia, coronary arteriosclerosis, two bypasses, stints, apnea, diabetes, neuropathy, congestive heart failure, onset of kidney failure and now anemia have joined together to take a couple of the "pluses" from behind that alpha personality. Funny things begin to happen once you are forced to slow down. You re-evaluate. Ultimately, you reconsider and then you regret. It is when you finally hit this stage that you need that reason to hope, to escape from the realities you created, and seek encouragement.

What you find is it was never far off, you merely were so absorbed in what you were doing that you didn't let yourself think on it. You needed it then as much, if not more, than now. You just didn't avail yourself. It is there for everyone. It is there for those of you who know of it but have refused it. It is there for those of you who are too busy to think about it. It is there for those like me. It is right there, it has been there all along.

Yes, if you are like me, there are times when you just need a reason to hope, a way to look beyond the myriad problems and cares of this life, and a just a bit more encouragement than usual. Sometimes it is because you are tired, occasionally because of illness and still other times when you feel a sense of personal failure. It doesn't matter if it is brought on by internal or external factors: you are just at a loss.

It is right where it could be seen so easily and it still can be right this very moment. I have shared with you some of my failures, please let me share with you what I have learned. The answer to us in our times of need can be found by looking up. I don't mean far up. No, we need just lift our eyes from the ground and raise them slightly above eye level. There, we can clearly see a cross, but that is not satisfy us, or at least it is not what satisfies my need. Look at it with me, and gain hope and joy and peace.

Look at the cross. Look at it and tell me what you see; no, tell me what you don't. My hope comes in the fact that that cross is empty.He is not there. His job was finished. I have hope in the empty cross. Whatever my failures in this life, He finished it and forgave it. There is no need in any regret on my part. I take complete refuge in an empty cross, Look at it! See what is missing? Because the cross is empty, all our reasons for despair ate also gone!

        God, most merciful Creator, thank You for the lessons of this life. Thank You for 
        circumstances that draw us away from thoughts of self to thoughts of You and Your 
        magnificent plans for the redemption of all Your creation. Thank You when You show 
        us that this life is not about us, about our idea of success or even less about our most 
        abject  failures. Thank You that we learn that everything in this life and the life to come 
        is about You and Your beloved Son, Jesus, Who bore in Himself our just reward of 
        eternal damnation. Thank You that the greatest sign for us of the hope we have to 
        come is found by looking on an empty cross, because that empty cross tells us, as He 
        spoke from it, "It is finished." Now, we call You Father, because of Christ's 
        finished work for us. So we thank You and praise You, our Triune and Eternal God, 
        now and in the ages to come. AMEN.