9.26.2004

The real Hope
by Elizabeth Sterling

It’s not about me
It’s not even about a bike
Or a trip across a great nation
I know I alone can offer no real Hope
I am just a person

I am just a person
Who held the fragility of humankind in her arms
Who felt the last breath
And the expansiveness of space that was left in its wake

My chest became a giant abyss
I felt powerless
And completely out of control
And learned with difficulty to submit my will to it

And then, that giant hole in my heart
Was filled by the power of Spirit
And because of my weakness
The Spirit could offer me great strength
And teach me about real HOPE

The real HOPE
Is not about me
It’s not about a bike
Or a trip across a great nation
Where does the power to move forward come from?
My two legs don’t have the strength

I am just a person
Who has the strength of many behind her
The strength of the One behind her
My body is tired and weak

But I’ve been asked to LIVESTRONG
Not because I possess the strength to do it on my own
I LIVESTRONG because of the strength
Of so many and of the One

And this is the real HOPE
The real HOPE is not something I can give
I am just a person
The real HOPE is huge

It is a collective force
Spinning out the love and light needed
To push us forward
Through the darkness, through tragedy, through uncertainty
Back into brilliant light

The real HOPE is not about me
It’s not about a bike
Or a trip across a great nation
Our journey has a beginning and an end
And it will be over in the blink of an eye

The real HOPE lives on forever
It’s not about us, as individuals
It’s not even about the effects we see in our time
These are many tiny seeds we sow
For greater things to come
And therein lies real Hope

Scripture

“And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” –Romans 5:5

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” –Hebrews 11:1

Quotation

“One does not expect from life what one has already learned it cannot give; rather, one begins to see more and more clearly that life is only a kind of sowing time, and the harvest is not here.” –Vincent van Gogh

“Many people seem to think it foolish, even superstitious, to believe that the world could still change for the better. And it is true that in winter it is sometimes so bitingly cold that one is tempted to say, ‘What do I care if there is a summer; its warmth is no help to me now.’ Yes, evil often seems to surpass good. But then, in spite of us, and without our permission, there comes at last an end to the bitter frosts. One morning the wind turns, and there is a thaw. And so I must still have hope.” –Vincent van Gogh

Prayer

God my strength comes from You. It comes through many of your workers, teachers, and guides. You’ve blessed me with strength for which I claim no credit. You have blessed me with Hope that is bigger and grander than anything I can contemplate. I live for this Hope. I live for You. -Amen

<Back to Archive