Hoping …

My heart sank as I queued up at the checkout at a nearby supermarket. I could see the staff member there chatting at length to each customer – and I was in a hurry to get home. So when my turn came at last, I did not feel particularly charitable towards her.

‘Well, I missed out on the Powerball jackpot last night,’ I heard her tell the customer before me as they said goodbye, ‘so I had to show up here again today!’

As she began to reach for my groceries, she continued chatting.

‘Never mind – at least it was fun to think I might win. You gotta have some sort of dream in life, don’t you? You gotta have something to hope for!’

Despite my negative mindset, I began to feel sorry for her if all she had to hope for in life was winning the Powerball jackpot. But … what on earth could I say in response?

‘I agree, but I’m not sure I like the odds of your winning Powerball!’ I said in the end.

‘I know,’ she replied, ‘but you gotta think you might! What else is there to hope for otherwise?’

I could not resist, despite still feeling grouchy.

‘Oh, I certainly think we all need hope – for this life and the next, don’t you?’

She was quiet for a moment and then muttered something I could not fully catch about kind of agreeing with what I said, although she seemed a little lost for words. Again, I felt sorry for her.

‘I think it’s great to have dreams in this life,’ I went on. ‘I became a writer in my late fifties – and that fulfilled a long-held dream for me. I’m still writing today and it’s been wonderful.’

‘Oh, that’s so good!’ she told me, brightening a little.

‘But I do believe we need hope beyond that too, including for the next life,’ I said again.

This time, there was only a vague response and I had to leave it there. At that point, I felt my comments had been so inadequate and trite. I had not even mentioned faith in God at all – I had not explained who could give her the hope she seemed to be searching for in life. The moment had now gone, but, as I trundled off with my trolley, I found myself praying a desperate prayer on behalf of this girl. ‘Oh, Lord, I’m sorry my words were so bumbling and inadequate – and I’m sorry for my attitude too. But please speak to her somehow. Please give her real hope and help her realise there’s something more to life than winning Powerball!’

At least this girl was honest enough to put into words what many others in this world seem to feel about hope and life in general. Yet here I am, having been given such a wonderful hope through faith in Jesus – a hope that needs to be shared, don’t you think?

In future, may I be much more compassionate and listen to God for just the right words to say that offer true hope to those whose paths I cross.

Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect. 1 Peter 3:15b

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Lost

‘We want to go the long way—we’ll still beat you to the car!’ our two youngest grandkids informed us, as we went to drive them home after a happy day together during the school holidays.  

We thought they meant their usual trick of heading upstairs in our unit block and down again, while we walked the normal way—but this time, they went further afield. And to their dismay and ours, they soon became lost in our big retirement village.

We waited and waited—but no grandkids showed up. I ran around our unit block several times, calling their names. Nothing. I raced up to the village centre. Nothing. I asked others along the way and, while one lady had seen them dash past, there was now no sign of them. My husband drove around looking. Again nothing.

What to do? I stood on a corner, hoping they would see me, and thought of calling the police. But at last, a lady I know came walking towards me, holding Zain and Maxine’s hands. At that point, she seemed like an angel to me!

‘Would you like two grandchildren?’ she asked, as I tried not to burst into tears.

Zain and Maxine looked even more sober and scared when they saw they had upset me. They did their best to explain how they tried to find their way back but had become completely confused, and their rescuer also explained how Zain had been very sensible and asked her nicely where our unit was. But what a fright for them—and us! The next time they were with us, they willingly made thankyou cards and some chocolate brownies for their rescuing angel—and their thanks were indeed heartfelt.

I wonder if you have had a similar heart-in-mouth experience of losing someone or of being lost yourself? Once when travelling in Turkey with a friend, I went to find a bank, while she waited at the bus station. On the way back, I took a wrong turn—and there I was, lost in the middle of Turkey with minimal Turkish at my disposal. To my relief, however, after managing to ask directions in a shop and then having a stern Turkish policeman come to my aid, I was reunited with my friend, just before our bus arrived. Phew!

We can feel so helpless in such situations, can’t we?  But I have discovered that such experiences can also teach us something more about God. By being lost in Turkey, I realised again my deep need of a rescuer, both then and in my life in general. Without God, we truly are lost, without hope and without purpose in life. And by losing our grandchildren, even for only a while, I sensed again God’s deep grief when we lose our way in life or reject God’s offer of rescue and reconciliation. Yet how eagerly our loving Father waits to welcome us home, just as the father in the story in Luke 15 welcomed his lost son home.

Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found. Luke 15:23-24.

It is not pleasant to be lost. But it is the most wonderful experience ever when we find our way back into the loving arms of God.

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