Choosing hope in the midst of life’s challenges can feel impossible. When the road is long and difficult, it is hard to imagine something different. It requires perseverance, waiting, trying and failing. Hope is not a ”pie in the sky” type of positivity. It takes grit and deep faith in God.
As I have shared, my eldest has an autoimmune disease that causes numbness throughout his body. I can’t even imagine what it would be like to have various parts of my body numb at any given time. It took a couple of years and several doctors to get to an accurate diagnosis. There isn’t much western medicine can do for him. We sought out alternative options. He made significant changes in his diet which helps, but he wasn’t improving overall.
We made another adjustment, found a different practitioner, did more testing, and are now dialing in a protocol with the hope of healing. Our hope has wavered through this. As mom, I can be rather tenacious in searching for answers and new things to try. I don’t want him to suffer.
Choosing hope in the midst of challenges and years of worsening symptoms takes endurance. It helps to look for minor improvements. It helps to look for God at work along the way. Noting these things build endurance and keep hope alive.
3 And not only that, but we[a] also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. (Romans 5:3-5 NRSV).
He has a renewed hope for an improved physical wellbeing in the midst of his quiet suffering. This overjoys me. Hope can be very hard to choose, and it is a choice. Note the scripture reminding us that suffering brings endurance which develops character and finally produces hope. Hope doesn’t come first and it doesn’t come easily.
Do you choose hope? Have you moved through suffering to endurance to character and then hope? Share your experience here and breathe life and bring hope to others.