Actually, it might not. It’s possible, quite possible, that no one will read your book, watch your movie, or subscribe to your channel. Your startup might tank. You might not get into your dream school, your parents may end up getting that divorce, and your friend may never wake up from that coma. I don’t mean to drag you down on a Monday morning, but it’s true. In these moments, we are faced with uncertainty, confusion, frustration, and heartbreak. In this moments, things are anything but “okay”.
Most of us like to think that a life lived with God means that everything will be okay. The only problem with this is that God never actually said that. In fact, he said quite the opposite, “In this world you will have trouble…”(John 16:33)
God never said that everything will be okay. At least not the way we probably think of okay. What he did promise is that he would be with us and that he would be our hope.
But Jon, doesn’t that basically mean the same thing?
Well, yes. But also no.
Hope doesn’t mean believing that everything will always be okay. Hope means remembering that even when things aren’t okay, the story isn’t over. Hope is placing a comma where everyone else is placing a period. Hope is turning the page when everyone else is closing the book. The beautiful, and difficult thing about turning the page is that we can’t know what is coming next in the story. The only thing we can do is keep reading. The rest of the story must be left up to the author.
Most of us like to think that a life lived with God means that everything will be okay. The only problem with this is that God never actually said that. In fact, he said quite the opposite, “In this world you will have trouble…”(John 16:33)
God never said that everything will be okay. At least not the way we probably think of okay. What he did promise is that he would be with us and that he would be our hope.
But Jon, doesn’t that basically mean the same thing?
Well, yes. But also no.
Hope doesn’t mean believing that everything will always be okay. Hope means remembering that even when things aren’t okay, the story isn’t over. Hope is placing a comma where everyone else is placing a period. Hope is turning the page when everyone else is closing the book. The beautiful, and difficult thing about turning the page is that we can’t know what is coming next in the story. The only thing we can do is keep reading. The rest of the story must be left up to the author.