The weather in this part of Ohio has been unusually warm for this time of year. Normally we experience temperatures in the 20’s and 30’s with various amounts of snow and wind. But this week brought open windows and fresh air, culminating with a day of sunshine and 70 degrees. People couldn’t help slipping into t-shirts and heading outside. Spirits lifted as the gray days of winter seemed to fade away. Unfortunately, the temperatures dropped and the winds picked up overnight, and flying by my window right now I see snow. It can be a little discouraging to feel spring so close only to have it snatched right back. But guess what? As the wind sways the trees and snow sprinkles my landscaping, peeking out of the soil is a spring flower. Do you know it’s name? It’s called hope.
Our lives can tell a similar tale. Sometimes all we see around us is the wind and the cold, but trust this, hope is nearby. “And you will have confidence, because there is hope; you will be protected and take your rest in safety. You will lie down, and no one will make you afraid; many will entreat your favor.” (Job 11:18-19) We don’t have to fret and pace when things around us look bad. Instead, we can trust God is planning to come and help. Psalm 62:5, “Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in Him.” Be brave and hold fast, because this season is going to end. “I believe that I shall look upon the Lord in the land of the living! Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” (Psalm 27: 13-14) Despite what it’s front of you, stand strong. And regardless of the lingering days of winter, keep hoping, because spring is sneaking up everywhere.
One of my closest friends just retired this week from the United States Army. Her career started as an inexperienced Second Lieutenant and peaked as a Colonel, and reflecting on its entirety, I couldn’t be more proud. Her combat boots saw action in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Bosnia. In the United States, those boots touched numerous military bases, including the headquarters of the Department of Defense, the Pentagon itself. But as of this week, her life is about to change. Drastically. She must have dozens of questions: What will I do? Where will I go? What’s next?
Some time ago I flew to Texas to support a family I loved during a heart-wrenching time of trial. Struggling in the last days of his life was a husband, a father, and a friend. His loved ones faced the crisis in different ways: flat-out denial, avoidance, or quiet acceptance with inner turmoil. I tried to balance my time meeting the needs of everyone involved, including my friend who was in his final days. It wasn’t easy, but the prayers of many friends kept me upright. Flying home after that experience, I was weary and exhausted. I told God I had nothing left to give, and I was ready for the peace and rest of Heaven. Immediately I looked out the window and filling the sky was a massive, gorgeous rainbow. Moved to tears, deep inside me I felt these words, “It’s not your time. You have so many promises in front of you.”
Recently, I had the opportunity to paint an accent wall in a teenager’s room with a chevron design (think Charlie Brown’s t-shirt, with pink and gray for the colors). On another wall I painted Disney quotes, which brought to mind that sometimes we need to change our outlook on life. A few of the phrases were, “…because hakuna matata (translation: ‘no worries…’) and the bear necessities will always be our guide…” My personal favorite was “We believe in happy endings.” Although these lines are from Disney movies, they carry a good message.
Recently, my mom and I were driving along and suddenly came upon a dense fog. The visibility was better when we were in populated areas with a lot of lights, but it decreased as we headed towards the country roads. It was strange to have a destination in mind, but not be able to see too far ahead. We kept peering through the darkness to see if we recognized landmarks and strained to read the road signs. To our surprise, as we drove down a quiet country road, suddenly the fog lifted and we could see clearly. It was quite a relief to see the entire road in front of us and even look into the distance and see exactly where we were headed.
In the movie ‘Finding Nemo,’ there’s a funny scene where a group of fish are going to school. A few of the younger fish see a boat in the distance and wonder what it could be. One thinks he knows and says it’s called a butt. In the scene, they dare each other to swim out and touch it. (Don’t judge me, I didn’t write the movie). Since then, when I swim at a beach with my niece, we try to swim all the way out to the ‘butt’, (AKA the buoy). It’s not a simple feat. The distance to the buoy makes it difficult and the waves moving to shore are pushing against us. We press on and keep the buoy in sight, yelling encouragement to each other as we go. As we come close to it, it’s bobbing all over in the water, so it’s hard to touch. Finally successful, one of us yells, “I touched the butt!”
Making the world is harder than you think. My nephew Zach had to make ten different landforms for a Social Studies project. We worked together and used Play-Doh, paint, Elmer’s glue, toothpicks, and numerous other craft items. Making the mountains was fun, creating an island with a palm tree in the middle of the lake was neat, but shaping tiny cactus for the desert was rather tricky. Zach got to name each place and he chose a football theme. We had Running Back River, Quarterback Lake, and even Touchdown Island. Our miniature ‘snapshot’ of the world took a long time to put together, but we sure enjoyed creating it.
Sometimes it seems like everyone I know is fighting a battle. Most of the battles are fierce, knock-down, and drawn-out fights. I have a friend who is battling a rare form of cancer, one who is caring for an ailing mother, and another one who is grieving the loss of a parent. Unfortunately, there are so many others who are stressed in one way or another. Within these struggles, we can feel lonely; no one really understands our heartache, our worry, our pain. Sometimes we feel like we are standing alone on the battlefield and the enemy before us is too big. That’s simply not true. We are never going into any battle alone. Ever.
I bought a bicycle like they use in Spin Classes at the gym. You know, the classes where all the participants look like they’ve been chiseled out of granite? Yep, I have that bike. It’s actually pretty hilarious as my body feels like it was formed from a large box of Play Doh. As I ride, I watch a Spin Class video and I think the instructor can read my mind. Just when I am thinking I might stop she says, “Don’t quit now! You can do this!” So I keep going. When I think I am not going to make it to the end, she says, “Come on, you’re an athlete, show us how it’s done!” (For some reason Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Glory Days’ is going through my mind…) I’m happy to say with the extra encouragement I usually make it through the workout, but I keep hoping it’s going to get a little easier.
For a little while today I had my own personal superhero. (I can actually feel you getting jealous and all I can say is, “na-na na-na boo boo.“) Picture this: a 3′ tall superhero dressed in a padded Spiderman suit (surprisingly accessorized with a bright, red Superman cape). My 3 year-old nephew Benjamin played the role well, appearing from the corner of the room whenever a cry for help was sounded. He went immediately to the imaginary ‘bad guys’ and pushed them away. With each rescue, I heard, “And don’t come back bad guys!” After taking care of the situation, he strutted to the corner with his muscles bulging and waited patiently for the next cry of distress.