When I worked in the corporate world there was a book that said that hope is not a strategy. Catchy title, and the gist was that you must make a plan and work the plan for anything to happen. In the world of business, this is probably true. In life – Hope is the only strategy.
Before you make a plan and set about working it, you have to start with that spark, that spark of hope. That it is possible.
I believe that it all begins with hope. Without hope, you don't have the courage to move forward. Without hope, you cannot dream. Without hope, you cannot love. Without hope, you cannot be Merciful or accept Mercy. Without hope, you cannot love or be loved. Hope is the only strategy.
These days it's tough to be hopeful. If you watch the news, view social media or read the papers you are bombarded with negative news - how horrible the world is - how horrible life is and if you have any hope whatsoever you are either a sell-out or capitalist. Well, let me tell you the Bible gives us hope. God made us in his image to be a creature with hope.
Where does Hope begin? It begins with a belief that there is more than what we can see, hear and touch. And if you believe in Jesus – a belief that this is just the beginning of our story. Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you” declares the Lord, “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Knowing that God has a plan for each and every one of us is the easy part. I just wish he would let us look at the end of the book once in a while. God writes straight with crooked lines. Quite often we only see the fingerprints of God in hindsight. Example in point: About 20 years ago I was on a business trip to Dallas, TX. My employer was having a HUGE week long meeting for all the sales teams. The first activity was a golf tournament on Sunday morning. A few of us got there early, so we decided to walk a few holes to warm up. We were on the first hole, I had overshot the green (nothing new there 😊). I pitched the ball up on to the green, which was up a hill so I could not see the hole. I turned to grab my clubs and didn’t see the other hole either. Next thing I knew I was on the ground, and not sure how I ended up there. My friends came over the hill to see what happened. They said they could see my head and the ball landed on the green but I disappeared. You know, they never did tell me how close I was to the pin. I will assume it went in the hole. Unfortunately, my ankle immediately swelled up. Rich had to walk back the golf shop to get a cart because there was no way I was walking back.
A trip to the ER revealed a fractured fibula. They wrapped it up, wrote me a prescription for painkillers and sent me on my way. In hindsight, I can see God’s fingerprints. I was with trusted friends who made sure I got back to the hotel. The wait in ER was short, my timing (or God’s timing) was spot on, I was between the Saturday night drunk crowd, and Softball injuries.
So what was the God’s plan. I am pretty sure that breaking my ankle was a building block in God’s plan. Up until that meeting, I had been on the road every week for 3 months. I would leave on Tuesday 6am and return home on Thursday around 10p. That was tough on my body, mind and spirit not to mention my marriage. I fitted with a cast and spent the next 9 weeks homebound. I learned that I could do my job from my home office. In hindsight, breaking my fibula was a blessing and part of the plan.
God does not promise us a rose garden. What he does promise it that he is faithful to his people and that he has a plan. Begin with Hope and faith and let the see what wonderous things can happen.
Hebrews 10:23 “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful”