Hope Victorious

I have been captivated by a little section of the narrative in John’s gospel. Chapter 21 includes the testimony of Jesus manifesting Himself on the shore and providing His disciples with a miraculous catch of fish. This takes place after the death and resurrection of Jesus and, in John’s record, it is the final time they saw Him before He ascended into heaven. John tells us that a group of the disciples had gone out fishing and, while they fished all night long, they had caught not one fish. At dawn, as they are coming in, they see a man on the shore and he calls to them. John clarifies at this point that they did not yet know that the man was Jesus. The man’s words point out that they have been unsuccessful; “ you do not have any fish, do you?” John 21:5. The disciples confirm that they have caught nothing. The man instructs them to put the net out once more on the right-hand side of the boat. He promises that if they do, they will find a catch. The disciples obey and haul in a n

  Warmth The sun on my face The fireplace at night Leaning into the embrace of my lover           Penetrating heat           Security           Calm and quiet Touching the depths of me as I linger I soak in warmth Coolness The gentleness of a blowing breeze Soft and calm on my face The sound of falling water The mist that surrounds me I soak in the peace of stillness Calm and Cool I am refreshed Strength The rising feeling of potential                Building on what has come before Endurance and Testing Successes and failures                The reward of Persevering Growing deeper still                I feel the increase of strength I have much more to do!                                         Son I remember the days of dependence Sometimes your need overwhelmed me                Mostly I held you in wonder                          The joy of your laughter                          The recognition in your eyes                          The swell of lo

  Your glory pours out in love by the revelation of your voice           You have made me wealthy - For I hear your voice The very whispers of your heart You are not hidden or far from me I walk towards you and find           You are already on your way to me           In a rush of love – with arms open wide You invite me deeper into an everlasting love   Thank you for your voice           For the promise of your words           They are my life - My every step – My ability to move The hope that lights my way   Let me remain in step with your voice           Not out ahead – forging my own way           Not lagging behind – in hesitation or regret Faith is my companion – I believe you speak to me           You are trustworthy and steadfast I only look back to see the history of your faithfulness to me Hope moves me forward and lights the path ahead I wonder at your plans for me – the goodness that awaits me   Your truth defends me           You know me by my strengths You have written

  Romans 5:5 says this, “and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” For years I would hear or read that verse and it would be confusing and frustrating. I had been disappointed countless times! Some disappointments are small and easily forgotten with the passing of time, others change the landscape of our lives. I’ve faced both extremes and plenty in between.   While I believed that God loved me and had experienced it often, I wasn’t sure how that could ever balance out the weight of the disappointment I had experienced in my life. The reason I didn’t like the verse is that I disagreed with it! It didn’t feel true and it frustrated, even angered me when I would read it. For much of my life as a Christian I was not equipped to truly handle being disappointed. I think I would just try to move on and focus on something else. Recently, as I’ve been walking with others as they face disappointme