Fireflies of Hope

"Hope: The Misunderstood Sister" by, Larry Hiller

I just read this phenomenal article about hope.  I'm including it in its entirety.  I have been trying for years to put my experiences with hope into words.  I think this gentleman just did what I could not do:

"I think of them as three famous sisters whose names are frequently linked, always in the same order: Faith, Hope, and Charity. They are mentioned several times in the New Testament . . .

"Of the three, Faith may be the most well known and popular, the one whose companionship is sought most often. She’s active and energetic, definitely the can-do type. Faith can move mountains, if necessary.

"I picture Charity as being modest and refined, beautiful and gracious. In her presence you feel genuinely loved and accepted. She’s unfailingly kind and generous, patient, empathetic, aware of every need, and responsive without being asked. How could you not want the companionship of someone like Charity?

"Then there’s Hope, who seems to have a problem with the way people perceive her. It may be her name and the way it’s commonly used: “I hope the car passes inspection.” Or, “I hope the weather will be nice for the wedding.” Used this way, the word hope is the verbal equivalent of keeping your fingers crossed. Consequently, many seem to think Hope is unsure, even fickle—she may or may not grace you with her companionship. But surely that’s not the kind of hope our Father in Heaven commands us to have. Nor would it be the kind of hope our Savior offers.

My desire to know Hope better was sparked when

"Walking With Two Sisters" poem by, Larry Hiller

Faith walks before me,
Holding up her lamp
As I try not to stumble in the ink-dark hours before the dawn.
Her light illuminates
One step and then another.
Beside me, Hope, arm linked with mine, encourages and steadies.
Sometimes in the tedium,
Distracted by the pain,
My mind begins to wander, then my feet. I hesitate.
Unsure, I look to Hope.
Her hand takes mine.
The touch reminds me of another hand held out to me,
One pierced and scarred
Yet oh so tender
Lifting me and blessing me when I had fallen and despaired.
Remembering,
I move ahead
Buoyed up by Hope, who sees the end with perfect clarity.

[This beautiful poem accompanies the exceptional article, "Hope: The Misunderstood Sister, by Larry Hiller]

Weak With Joy

 

Today was a big day for our family.  Today our 19 year-old son left for two years to be a full-time Christian missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons).

I am weak with joy at the choice he has made to serve the Lord for 2 years.  

I am weak with joy that there is a gospel message of HOPE, love, joy, redemption and forgiveness for everyone.   

I am weak with joy that even in our day and age, this gospel message of hope finds those people who are seeking truth in its most distilled essence.  There are answers to life's questions.

I am weak with joy that God, our Heavenly Father, loves us SO much that He still finds a way for this hopeful message to be sent around the world.

"Far Better it is To Dare Mighty Things" quote by, Teddy Roosevelt

Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs; even though checked by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much, nor suffer much because they live in that gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.

-Teddy Roosevelt-

"I'm Not Happy, I'm Cheerful" by, Beverly Sills

I'm not happy, I'm cheerful.

A happy woman has no cares at all.

A cheerful woman has cares

But has learned how to deal with them.

~ Beverly Sills, American operatic soprano (1929 ~ 2007)

Under The Cherry Blossom Trees

The cherry blossom trees have been in full bloom this month.  WHAT a beautiful scene to see (and smell) the cherry blossoms bursting against a bright blue sky.  A few weeks ago we had a surprise one-foot snow storm that cracked off big blooming branches around town, even uprooting a couple of trees.  The only trees hit seemed to be the cherry blossom trees.  Their wood is softer and they bloom earlier than most.  Some neighbors woke up their children early to shake off the snow when they heard the branches snapping.

This week (a few weeks after the storm) as I look at the trees whose branches had broken off under the weight of the snow, I noticed something wonderful.  The trees are just as pretty as ever.  They just have a new shape!  The uprooted trees are even still there after strong people and wooden poles put them back in place.

On my walk today I wondered how often I have had 'surprise snow storms' in my life that 'took down some of my branches' when I was just minding my own business and blooming.  

If you ever feel like your in the midst of a storm, just think that perhaps "nature's gardener" is at work, pruning and reshaping you.  If we become completely uprooted, sometimes we have to be humble enough to receive the offered help from other people to help us become firmly planted again.  Remember to make up your mind to trust in the Lord, have faith, and try to pray.  You WILL keep blooming, and you may like the 'new you' even better as you weather the storm.

Broken Things to Mend

I first heard the following poem in an unforgettable speech, "Broken Things to Mend", by Jeffery R. Holland.  Holland said, 

"I speak to those who are facing personal trials and family struggles, those who endure conflicts fought in the lonely foxholes of the heart, those trying to hold back floodwaters of despair that sometimes wash over us like a tsunami of the soul. I wish to speak particularly to you who feel your lives are broken, seemingly beyond repair". (Click here to listen to speech, or click here to read it).

He finished his speech with this touching poem, by George Blair:

The Carpenter of Nazareth, by George Blair

In Nazareth, the narrow road,
That tires the feet and steals the breath,
Passes the place where once abode
The Carpenter of Nazareth.

And up and down the dusty way
The village folk would often wend;
And on the bench, beside Him, lay
Their broken things for Him to mend.

The maiden with the doll she broke,
The woman with the broken chair,
The man with broken plough, or yoke,
Said, "Can you mend it, Carpenter?"

And each received the thing he sought,
In yoke, or plough, or chair, or doll;
The broken thing which each had brought
Returned again a perfect whole.

So, up the hill the long years through,
With heavy step and wistful eye,
The burdened souls their way pursue,
Uttering each the plaintive cry:

"O Carpenter of Nazareth,
This heart, that's broken past repair,
This life, that's shattered nigh to death,
Oh, can You mend them, Carpenter?"

And by His kind and ready hand,
His own sweet life is woven through
Our broken lives, until they stand
A New Creation—"all things new."

"The shattered [substance] of [the] heart,
Desire, ambition, hope, and faith,
Mould Thou into the perfect part,
O, Carpenter of Nazareth!

[George Blair, "The Carpenter of Nazareth," in Obert C. Tanner, Christ's Ideals for Living (Sunday School manual, 1955), 22]

 

Happy May Day

May Day is celebrated around the world in many ways.  Little May baskets filled with May flowers are left on front doors in America.  In Europe children (and grownup's) dance and wind ribbons around a tall Maypole.  King Charles IX of France received a lily of the valley as a lucky charm in 1561, so he started a tradition of giving out lilies of the valley to the ladies of the court every May Day.  And in Scotland, students gather on the beach and run into the North Sea at sunrise. 

Whatever your tradition is, have a lovely day filled with hope.