At
times it can be easy to believe that there is no HOPE, that things are
inextricably difficult and confusing, emotions are raw and it seems that there
is no clear sense of direction. Yet it is exactly this situation that the
Jews find themselves in at the time that Jeremiah delivers the words of Jeremiah
29. The truth is that HOPE is something that is not just of the future, nor is
it a destination, a success story or simply an emotion. HOPE is the out working
of God's love and presence in our lives every day and how we share that love
through our actions and words with others. This is what brings HOPE into
everyday situations and also enables HOPE to structure and shape the future.
HOPE
Martin Luther King said is at the heart of everything, without HOPE nothing
happens and in a sense he is true, for without HOPE that things can change,
that situations can be managed, that there will be someone there to be with us,
to share what ever lies before us; we never would find the strength to
carry on.
When
God speaks through Jeremiah he speaks of a HOPE that is real and tangible and
that makes a difference. But he also speaks to a nation, not to individuals in
isolation. It would seem that God's vision of HOPE is reliant on us
partaking in the realisation of that as much as him directing it. It is each
one of us that is key in the fulfilment of HOPE in our own lives, but also in
the lives of others.
This
week may we all play an active part in making that HOPE realised in the lives
of each of us, but most importantly for those for whom HOPE is needed in the challenging circumstances that they face.
