Christian Living

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Larry Lilly's Letter Monday August 27, 2007

I came across a great statement on hope while reading an article by Debi Pryde in SharperIron 08-22-07 titled, "The Road To Burnout" a great piece on the again popular subject afflicting so many men and women, even in full time ministry.

Debi posits that one of the major problems in this malady is the loss of focus on hope.

"The problems are real, but solutions are often blurred by the loss of hope."

While Mrs. Pryde confined her comments to burnout, the truth of the above statement covers the gamut of problems faced not only by burnout patients but also the elderly, prisoners of war or otherwise, military personnel, pastors and missionaries, and I know several truck drivers going through a real bout with this robber of the joy and fruitfulness of life.

The last phrase really hit me like a hammer. I started the series on hope, hoping to rekindle hope in my own walk. To walk without hope is to be like Peter and follow Jesus afar off. Not a good stroll. Think about it: "Blurred by the loss of hope." When a person loses hope or what hope they have is blurred by problems, the pain of their existence, their life becomes like a continually overcast day, just awaiting the breaking the storm.

The big secret of hope is to learn which type of hope to focus on for the present circumstance whatever the circumstance may be. Hoping for a better job is good, hoping to do well on a test you have prepared for is great. But what if there really is no hope of a better job? No hope of passing the test the Nazi’s are giving to you in the concentration camp? How did people like Corri ten Boom, Maximilian Kolbe and myriads of others not only endure the Nazi bestial brutality, but in reality triumph and their names live in the ranks of true victors? Max Kolbe volunteered his life for the life of another and he died in the starvation chambers in Auschwitz. When he finally succumbed, Jerzy Bielecki wrote:

"Father Kolbe's death was "a shock filled with hope, bringing new life and strength. ...It was like a powerful shaft of light in the darkness of the camp."

Prisoner Kolbe, a Polish priest carried in his heart the hope that transcends all earthly hopes, for there was no earthly hope in Auschwitz, but he knew the hope that shined through the demonic darkness of Hitler's torture chamber. Not even Hitler could "blur" the hope from the city celestial, the glow from the face of Jesus, much as the one on Stephen's face in the long ago.

In a concentration camp, a nursing home, or a tough life situation, hope fixed beyond the stars can give the victory and thus inspire others to go on even for another hour, another day. When all else is gone, true victors cling to a bright hope and that can fill a dark night with stars.

Larry Lilly Copyright © 2007 Use with credit.

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