A Word of Encouragement

“Blossoms!” 

I had a housemate a few years ago who at this time of year when out and about would joyfully exclaim this every time she saw a blossom tree in full bloom. I couldn’t hear it without smiling.

Blossoms, wattle trees, magnolias: these are all starting to bloom in my neighbourhood, little emblems of joy and colour breaking through the winter grey. My own tree in front of my house only has a few flowers on it so far, but it is full of buds. Any time now it will explode with colour and life. I look with hope, watching for that day to come.

I’ve been reflecting on hope a lot lately. Hope is a beautiful thing. It’s like adrenaline to our souls, spurring us on, lifting our heads, bringing joy to our hearts. But I think we often misunderstand the hope offered to us. See, we tend to say things like “I hope I get picked for the team” or “I hope I pass my exam” or “I hope to see Machu Picchu one day.” When we use hope like that, really what we are talking about is a goal or a dream. It might help us to train or study or save our pennies, but the outcome is uncertain. We can try our best, but it depends on things beyond us and on everything coming together just right.

Christian hope isn’t like that at all. It’s not a dream in the distance that we cross our fingers will come true or even something that we have to work towards. Christian hope is like the sun that rises in the morning, or the spring that follows the winter or the tree full of buds about to blossom. Christian hope is not a wishful thinking but a certain waiting. It’s not dependant on me or what I do, it’s dependant on God and what he has already done – that’s why it’s certain. God the powerful One, God the faithful One can and will do what he has promised. 

We need hope. We especially need it now. We need to know in a world that is feeling so uncertain and a future that is looking bumpy that this will not be the end of the story. We need the shot of adrenaline it is to know that the God who raised Jesus from the grave is still working today to bring life and life to the full. 

Dawn! Springtime! Blossoms! These are signs of hope placed in creation around us. And as we enjoy them, the Creator invites us to a bigger hope – to hope in him. And when we put our hope in him then, whatever else happens, we know colour and life is coming.

Rev Karen Reid

Girton Chaplain