Friday, March 19, 2021

Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Read: Lamentations 3:19-26

As many of you already know, I was very ill for almost two years and unable to do much of anything for about a year. I became very depressed and started to lose hope that I would ever recover. I had a variety of symptoms and clinical findings, but my doctors were unable to discover the source of my illness. That led to more depression and a greater feeling of hopelessness. Many times I wanted to give up the fight and succumb to whatever was wrong with me. It took effort to push forward in search of answers and, ultimately, the proper treatment. However, my church family kept reminding me that I was prayed for and loved. Many people from church sent me cards of encouragement and caring, made calls to check on me and visited when I was up to it. Those gestures of love continually gave me the strength to push forward.

I also received a book, called “Finding Hope: Ways to See Life in a Brighter Light,” from a group of women from church. Initially, I put the book aside. I could not see how the book could help me get better, and I was too depressed to find out. Nonetheless, one night before going to bed, I decided to force myself to read at least one chapter. After reading that chapter, I made a vow to read a chapter of the book every night. I knew that I needed something to lift my spirits and encourage me to continue on with my quest to find the cause of my illness, despite my depression and feelings of despair. To my surprise, the words in the book gave me the strength to get up every day and seek answers. A few months later, a very wise doctor discovered the cause of my illness and said that she could help me. When testing confirmed her suspicions, I had HOPE that I would recover.

A chapter in the book, titled “Open to What’s Sacred,” contains words that might help us get through this worldwide pandemic of 2020-21: “When you stay hopeful, you remain open to the possibility that there is more than just this physical world and more than just this present moment. You grant that something greater may be at work around you and even within you. And that something greater may be Something Greater.”

Remember these words of the hymn “Great Is Thy Faithfulness:” “Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow.”

Jan Versical