About reaching out in hopelessness…
Romans 4:18 Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the
father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, "So shall your
offspring be." 19 Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that
his body was as good as dead--since he was about a hundred years old--and that
Sarah's womb was also dead. 20 Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding
the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21
being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. (NIV)
Reaching out to help others when we are in hopelessness is not easy to do.
However, when we do reach out to help others in our own hopelessness, we bring
the light and love of God into the lives of those we touch. Others may not
respond to our reaching out. Others may reject us, laugh at us, find fault with
us, and ridicule us when we reach out to them. Reaching out to help others in
our hopelessness means we reach out when we have no earthly hope for things to
change, improve, or get better in our life. On the surface of things, reaching
out to help others in our own hopelessness looks impossible and perhaps even
futile. However, when we reach out to help others, things do change. When we see
no way out in our hopelessness, there is a way out. When we see no light in our
hopelessness, there is a Light. How our way out is illuminated by the Light can
be the most profound of mysteries. Yet in our heart, even in our heart where
hope no longer resides, we always sense the spark…the spark of the divine One
who gives us life and who came to give His life for us…and when we begin to
give this divine spark away by reaching out to help others, a mighty fire of
hope is started within them and within us.
