Hope: A definition I Wasn’t Expecting
One definition for “hope” in the 1824 dictionary (the ONLY dictionary) says “a sloping plain between the ridges of a mountain range. I just couldn’t get passed this definition!
This is a season when it feels like huge mountains are looming around us in every direction. Obstacles seem like too much to consider. So many people are struggling under the cares and concerns.
When I was considering the mountains, the definition started to become clearer. We, as believers, have hope. We are “on the sloping plain in between” the obstacles. We can be surrounded on every side but still stand on solid ground. Our hope is a person and He is the Overcomer.
Take notice when you feel overwhelmed. Stop for a few moments.
Are you holding your breath?
Are you clenching your teeth?
Maybe you are furrowing your brow.
If you said yes, try a few things.
Take a few long deep breaths.
Purposefully relax your face and shoulders.
Invite the Lord into that moment with you.
Look around you and find something beautiful on which to focus.
Amazingly, you can be in almost any space and find SOMETHING beautiful, even in the worst places. Ask God to help you see the beauty.
Sometimes I need only to stand wherever I am to be so blessed. Mary Oliver It was Early
On our way to visit family this week Elizabeth Jane and I stopped to see a dear friend. She is one of our favorite people in all the world and just getting to stop for an hour felt like the sweetest gift.
We were surrounded by beauty but not necessarily worldly beauty. What was so sweet to my heart is that the places I looked at with admiration are the same places Elizabeth Jane took photos of and sent them to me.
Her harvest baskets from the garden, lining the hall. She has labored over that garden all year all year and generously shares her crops.
The dining room table is prepared for the next Bible Study she hosts on Wednesdays.
Jeans hanging on the line to dry.
I want to invite you to become creative about the beauty you see. Creativity isn’t always about producing some significant piece of art. Sometimes creativity is just a way to extend our experience. We can just enjoy the beauty from lots of angles.
Here are a few ideas:
Sketch how a place/thing feels. Just make a rough sketch. This isn’t about making a replica. It is just reporting how you feel about the place. Let your lines share your feelings.
Consider a song that might represent the place/situation. Try to assign a song that might come close to the way you feel in a place.
Journal a little bit about the beauty you are experiencing.
For example, the old Christian song “Friends are Friends Forever” communicates how I feel about being with my dear friend. But “Country Roads” is how her home feels to me.
Some of you are wondering why. Why would we do these activities? When we are in places where we feel surrounded by lots of hardships and challenges, it helps to shift our perspective. We have to make a decision to get our eyes off the struggle and onto our Good Father who is our hope. When we see beauty we see His fingerprints. So lean into the beauty. Take time to let it soak in and enjoy His presence in that place.
Just taking a few minutes to soak in beauty can shift our hearts in such a way that we can get filled up so that we can encourage those around us! What a gift a little beauty can make.
When was a time when beauty shifted a situation in your life?
Do you race around like at a break-neck speed trying to get all the things done? Take a few minutes and read this article. Get a few ideas you can incorporate in your life to help slow your roll.