F is for Friendship

Recent events have caused me to realize what a blessing it is to have people in your life that care about you. This seems like a no-brainer, but I guess sometimes it takes some kind of chaotic event to bring this truth to light. While it is pretty sad that sometimes it takes something unfortunate to happen for you to realize the good stuff in life, I am glad to have recognized the blessing of friends.

This past week I once again faced the all to familiar situation of my car breaking down. This time on I-45 during rush hour with a car-full of Jr. High girls... definitely a memorable experience to say the least... But joking aside I was extremely blessed to coast off the highway and into a parking lot without being hit or having to push my vehicle any distance at all.

But the avoidance of death was not the only blessing I would receive that day or the days to follow. For I found myself surrounded by people who care about me. Not just people who take interest in my well-being by asking me how the car is, or if it is fixed yet, or being willing to listen to the incredibly long story attached to the experience; but people who take interest in my well-being by actively involving themselves to ensure my well-being...if that makes sense. Over the past few days I have witnessed several people who have dropped everything to help me out. (They may not have dropped everything, but it at least appeared that they had, and that is the most important part) It is not that I am surprised people actually do this for others, and it is not that I have never experienced such kindness before; I am simply thankful that I have friends. I am also blow away by the impact people have on each other's lives, and I don't know what life would be like if I tried to live it by myself, or can't imagine why I ever try to anyway.

I think I try because a lot of heroes try, and since I want to be a hero, it makes logical sense to try; try and make it on my own that is.

1. Superman: does everything by himself. But who wouldn't if they were invincible and super strong or super fast or whatever.
2. Batman: Kind of a loner
3. John Wayne: A man's man. Doesn't need anybody. Pretty sure that guy could tackle the west by himself
4. Lone Ranger: sure there is Tonto, but I think the name speaks for itself
5. James Bond: Has really cool stuff, saves the world, and gets the girl usually all by himself.
6. Indiana Jones: he does have a posse, but he is the one doing all the work
7. Any character Clint Eastwood has ever played: From The Man with No Name to Walt Kowalski in Gran Torino, Clint makes it clear to everyone that he doesn't need anybody.

The list could go on and on, but I think this list suffices for the point.

Basically we have this idea thrown at us all the time that friends are great, but really we could make it without them and that ultimately you can't trust them anyway.

I mean people can be a handful. They really do get on your nerves sometimes. Dealing with people and relationships gets messy and painful at times. It can seem easier to just go it alone. Sometimes it seems best to just pull yourself up by your bootstraps. Having to depend on people seems like weakness.

But what if it isn't weakness. What if our dependence on each other isn't a sign of failure or inadequacy, but rather a sign that we are truly human? When you are on the side of the road with everywhere to go and no way to get there, going it alone doesn't seem so great. In fact needing other people, especially people with cars, sounds pretty darn good.

But what about when things are going really well? It is a little harder to keep dependence in mind when things are going well without others. Who needs people when you have everything under control or going your way. Who needs other people? The people who don't have anything under control or have anything going their way. That is who needs other people. If you don't need anyone, somebody probably could use you in their life. Who knows maybe you will have a break down some day.

I am just really thankful that there have always been people placed in my life that care about me and help me out. I'm glad to know the meaning of kindness, compassion, friendship, and every other sentimental word you could think of by watching the example of outstanding selfless people. I want to give a shout out to everyone who has been so gracious to me through all this car stuff, even if they never read this blog, they inspired the writing of it. I have definitely been blessed and wish to share that with others, because I need them way more than they need me.

A New Hope

"I have all my eggs in one basket, and I don't have a back up plan."

This is one way that hope has been described to me recently. I have come to realize that hope is one of those words that is hard to define without using the word in the definition. Most dictionaries define hope as a feeling or expectation that things are going to turn out for the best. While this true and accurate, I need (much in the same way that Boston did) more than a feeling. I need security and certainty in my hope. I need to know that things are going to in fact turn out good, that I am not setting myself up for disappointment, or failure, or pain. Having hope is not easy. Most of the time our circumstances say "lose heart" or "just give up". Most of the time it seems easier just to give up than to hold on to a promise that does not appear to be coming true. I think there are a few problems with hope today. Lots of times we follow a counterfeit hope.

I think we can all fall for a selfish hope. We all want things to turn out for the best, but only if that best refers to personal gain, personal profit, or making sure we get our way, we get what we want. True hope is not confidence that we will get what we want, but confidence that things will in fact turn out good. Not what we think is best, but that in time God will accomplish what is truly good and bring glory to his name. This seems easy in theory, but difficult in practice.

The story does not always end happily ever after. Sometimes the story doesn't even start out happy. With all the hurt and pain in the world it can sometimes appear that nothing will ever be worked out. It's a good thing there is heaven right? A place where there is no pain or sorrow sounds pretty good in the midst of trouble. There is nothing wrong with believing in Heaven or that God promises us a place with him there for eternity; the problem is that we think things will only get better in the next life - removing hope from the picture right now. I firmly believe that God is active in our lives right now; that he is at work in our lives even when we can't see and even when everything is only getting worse. Hope has to be more than something we get after we die. If Heaven is all hope is good for, then what good is it right now? What good is it in my life? Hope is confidence that God is on the move and no matter what happens, he is still in control.

It seems to me that too often than not our hope is left to chance. We say we believe that God is working, but we doubt if he really is. So instead of leaving our destiny in the hands of the unknown, we take it into our own. That way if things don't work out with the whole God thing we are covered, and if they do, we're still good. I have noticed that I do not do any better on my own than I do with God. Most of the time it gets worse.

I wonder what life would look like if we really lived true hope. If we really believed that the power that raised Christ from the dead is promised to us right now in this life. If we really believed that nothing in this world, even death, could bring us down or stop the work that God was doing in and through us. I wonder how this would change how we interacted with people.

Recently I was reminded about the importance of hope. God brought to my attention that I had lost sight of hope, and in doing so I had lost sight of him. A life without hope does not seem worth living. When there is no future, when the end of the story seems to have happened three chapters ago, why keep going? Hope dies when it is not shared, or at least grows stale and is discarded. What would happen if we lived in such a way that others were filled with hope? What if we purposefully entered situations to bring hope, or were intentional about taking hope wherever we went? Would the world still seem hopeless. Maybe the world seems hopeless because everyone is trying to just get hope for themselves. Maybe instead the answer is sharing. Maybe I'm on to something...or maybe this is just a musing of a modern day sasquatch...