If you were 40-45 years old years in 1945 you would have lived through the worldwide Spanish flu pandemic during World War I that took 50M lives, the Great Depression, and then World War II.
In 1945 many wondered what next bad thing could happen? Maybe today, that’s you, or maybe not? After WW II those times of intense anxiety and insecurity were over for millions at least for a while! Down the road came Korea, Viet Nam, the 60s, and 911.
COVID 19 was something very few people ever thought could happen, the reality is that things can change very quickly. Ironically, today we are living longer and healthier lives, but people feel more culturally and emotionally disconnected than ever. Today the level of depression and anxiety among millennials is higher than those that came before.
Inevitably, life can take a turn we didn’t plan on or expect. When Jesus told his disciples that he was going away they were deeply heartbroken and confused. Maybe you’ve experienced that with someone close to you too? Like the sad reality of saying goodbye for the last time.
The disciples experienced a roller coaster of emotions: sadness, grief, a loss of hope, and skepticism. What are we going to do now? The disciples’ hopes and dreams were completely shattered. We’ve all been there before or can be. In times like this, we need hope.
The disciples’ sorrow and tears clouded their vision and they had lost their hope and forgotten about what Jesus had told them about them seeing Him again. As Mother Teresa said, “Never let your sorrow so fill you as to make you forget the joy of the risen Christ.” Have you forgotten?
For many, their hope is just a pleasant wish. I hope that… We can hang our hopes on people, places, and things. We tend to cling to the things that are going to be eventually taken away from us.
Unless we’re getting our hope from God, we’re going to try to get it from someone or something else. What or who is your hope in? Our hope might be in someone or something good and possibly attainable, but hope in the resurrection is infallible! Hey, it’s Friday, but Sundays a coming!
It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humans. It is better to take refuge in the Lord. Psalm118:9
My soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him. Psalm 62:5
