The God i serve is a God of hope. He is The One who came to save the lost, set the captives free, and beat death itself. He offers us a life filled with living hope, because He is living hope Himself!
1 Peter 1:3 sums it up pretty nicely, “According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ Himself.”
I think I’m getting ahead of myself. Let me explain.
Every Thursday we go to the city dump. We serve lunch, we wash the kiddos’ hands, we give out more tortillas than I can count, we laugh, we sing, and we pray. I am constantly praying that I never become accustomed to the heartbreaking reality that is the garbage dump. Though I have only visited three times, The Lord has been faithful in answering that prayer. Every time I visit, my heart breaks all over again.
This week I met a little family for the first time. Peter and his precious four year old son quickly grabbed my heart and attention. Seeing dads at the dump is rare itself, but seeing a dad with his son and loving every minute of it is something I never thought I would encounter there. Yet there they were, smiling and laughing together. Christopher refused to leave his father’s side and Peter didn’t attempt to make him. As Christopher was playing with his friends, Peter’s smile watching him was just as wide as his son’s. I watched them as Christopher got his lunch literally all over himself, and Peter just laughed as he brushed him off. Their joy was contagious And their love for each other was obvious.
Spending just five minutes with them and I couldn’t help but wish that they had a life outside of the dump. I wanted Christopher to have everything that any little boy could ever dream of having and I wanted Peter to be able to give it to him. It broke my heart to know how far fetched of a dream that was. I was confused, sad, and a little angry at the situation. Then Jesus stepped in.
As the wind blew and I felt His presence, He whispered to me, “I am enough.” and I knew He was right. He reminded me of the hope that He holds for all of us, for you, for me, and for Peter and Christopher. Letting my thoughts wander to a place of hopelessness is letting my thoughts wander to a place that is not of Christ.
He is bigger than than the sadness that is the garbage dump. As He has dug me out of the filth that is my sin, which is dirtier and more repulsive that even the biggest pile of garbage, He has the power to give Peter and Christopher a better life. He is our hope! He is why Peter and his son are able have the joy they do!
I am thankful to serve the God that I do. The God who delights in watching Peter and Christopher as much as I do. He is the God who wrote my story to intersect with this sweet little family’s. He is the God who gracefully and joyfully reminds me of the hope that He holds for me, for you, for the people at the dump. He is the God who is also my dad, who’s heart breaks for these people a million times more than mine does. He is the God who is hope, who holds hope, and who offers hope to all of His children. He is the God who is enough, always and forever.
“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful!” Hebrews 10:23
