Patience is hard. Hope might be harder.
A beloved psychologist, Dan Allender says that, "Hope is a defiance of what is, in order to create what you know you imagine. What could be. It's always a disruptive force within us. It doesn't make life easier. In many ways, it opens the door to levels of risk, levels of uncertainty that require you to move forward in the future."
If our lives are stories, and we are a part of one grand narrative, sometimes I stop myself and think, "Wait a minute.... I don't like my story!"
Now that's not entirely true. Most days I move through my days with a deep sense of gratitude for this life that I've been given. But when things get excruciatingly hard, I sometimes find myself thinking... "This story stinks. Write me a new one, Lord. Please and thank you."
This week I could hear God gently reminding me that, "He has made everything beautiful in its time." Ecclesiastes 3:11
So I thought about the butterfly. No one would think that their early phase of life as a caterpillar is beautiful. They are squishy and plump, perhaps charming in their own way, but beautiful? Nah. Now, if you were new to this planet, or a child, and had never learned that caterpillars one day transform into beautiful butterflies, would you believe it? Hardly! It's out of this world. It's wonderful! It's a miracle.
So in this hard season, I could heard God saying to me, "That's you! You might be a caterpillar now, a mere worm, but one day.... Just wait! Just wait for me to do my work. I'm making all things new!"
Hope and patience are so hard. But hold onto hope friends. Beauty is coming for you. Goodness and mercy are chasing after you.
