Hopeless

Life, at times, seems very hopeless. A feeling of hopelessness has crept into my life over the last week or so. After all, a lot of things have been going very badly. I've been sick, been struggling with a bit of loneliness, been unhappy with being immobile (stupid car). Not only that, but there has been a family member who in the hospital with a very serious condition. It has really be a trying time.

Tonight, things got a little more rough.  One of the students that I mentor through Young Life came over, and we had a discussion about his life. The gist of the conversation was in regards to sense of no hope in life. I can't go into much details about what was said, but it truly broke my heart. To see him start to cry because he live a life like everyone else, destroyed me! I had to keep back from bawling my eyes. I love this guy like a little brother. Seeing him suffer causes me to suffer with him.

He went on to talk about how he felt that sometimes God was distant.  I think we all have these moments. For most, it goes a little like this:

"God, I didn't get X! Where are you?"

Sadly, I have heard that many times in my life. I have even said it a few times. How spoiled and foolish to think that God doesn't love us because we don't get what we want. Imagine a child questioning whether their parent loved them, because the parent gave them vegetables instead of sweets. It is the same reasoning, really.

My friend, however, wasn't having this type of moment. It was a genuine cry out. "Everything is falling apart. I can't see the light. God, where are you?"

I don't think it is coincidental that all of this lined with today and this weekend. We know the story of Christ's crucifixion. He was killed for our sins, an rose again. The end. But we also miss so much of the human experience that happened at the same time. I fully believe that Mary, Peter, John, Thomas, etc all had this moment of hopelessness. Not just a moment, but days of hopelessness. Mary watched her beloved son beat, and killed. How much more hopeless can you get than to be a parent watching your child being killed, and not being able to do anything about it? I can't even imagine the pain, the agony! That is a moment of hopelessness.

The disciples spent 3 years of their lives with Jesus. They gave up everything to follow him. They grew to see him as a mentor, a friend, a companion, and as their Lord. They believed with their whole hearts that he was going to change the world, and bring them something wonderful. Yet, they scattered in fear and disbelief as their master and friend was killed. They hid, not sure what to think or what to do next. They only knew that the only thing that mattered to them, was now dead. They had nothing left to hope for. Absolutely nothing.

Yet, we know this all changed. Something amazing happened. It wasn't just that a man came back from the dead. It was that they realized that God truly does keep His word. They realized that their hope had been placed in something which was temporary. Yet, when Christ arose, they realized that they had limited vision prior. It was such a revelation that they ended up being a force unlike what has been seen on the earth. The boldly went about preaching, healing, and living the life that Christ taught to them. Why? Not because it is a happy, feel good message. No, there is hope in Christ. There is ONLY hope in Christ. Christ is the only hope. There was no hope in the earthly kingdom they imagined him bringing. There was no hope in the powers they imagined they would acquire. There was no hope in riches, or fame. No hope in theology or government.

No, there was only hope in Christ then. There is only hope in Christ now. There will only ever be hope in Christ, ever.

Outside of the work of Christ on the Cross and His victorious Resurrection, there is absolutely no hope. And sadly, most people will never know this hope. They move from temporary thing to temporary thing, trying to find something new to give them hope. They are like locusts moving from field to field, to feed. In the end, there are no more fields to feed on.

Yet, those of us in Christ will never go hungry. We will never have to go to another field. No, we are not like locusts at all. Christ is our only Hope. We need nothing else.


I hope my friend will learn this lesson from my example. I pray to God that I can show Him how Jesus is far more superior than what he believes he is missing out on. I pray that he, and others, will see the futility of trusting and hoping in the perishable things of life, and cling to the everlasting hope of a victorious Savior.

Happy Easter.