Facing life with hope and not hopelessness

Viki Taylor, 14th Jul 2017
Tags: Life Blog Challenges Hope

There is nothing better than sitting at the top of a hill, reflecting on the beauty of a city on a beautiful sunny day. There is life happening for as far as the eye can see. In the sunshine, when things are bright and easily visible, climbing the hill and having a higher, hope-filled perspective is easy.

But what about the days when you wake up, look out the window, and a cloudy mist is all you can see? Suddenly climbing the hill and looking down at the city in front of you seems somewhat less appealing, and staying indoors feels like the easier option.

It’s hard to have a higher perspective when your mind is stuck on the ground.

It’s hard to see where you fit when you can’t see past the immediate in front of you.

It’s hard to see the hope when your eyes are fixated on the hopeless.

It’s hard to see hope when your eyes are fixated on the hopeless.

The Bible talks a lot about this. In a poetry book called Psalms, the writer, David, says, “I look up to the mountains—does my help come from there? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth!” (Psalm 121:1-2).

David is not saying that there isn’t a mountain to climb. He’s not claiming that there are no steep hills and that the hike is going to be easy. He simply states that his help comes from the Lord. This means that no matter how steep the hill and how misty the day, he is not alone and he has a helper. 

How does that relate to you and me? 

This means that on the days where staying in bed and ignoring the darkness outside seems easier than facing the harsh realities in front of you, that we can take those first steps to conquering the hills and mountains before our eyes.

It is not promised that this life is easy, and it only takes a few seconds of watching the news to see the darkness surrounding us, but with Jesus we have strength.

It is not promised that this life is easy, and it only takes a few seconds of watching the news to see the darkness surrounding us, but with Jesus we have strength. Real strength that is not dependent on our own abilities or the situations around us. A strength that tackles the mountains head on and says “With Jesus, I can.”

Every time I tackle a hill, my legs get stronger, my capacity increases and my perspective gets higher.

I still have a strong dislike for the hills where I live. I would much rather take an Uber, but the reality is, this easy way out leaves room for only a short term fix. Every time I tackle a hill, my legs get stronger, my capacity increases and my perspective gets higher. 

So I ask you, what hill is in front of you? 

What would it look like if Jesus helped you tackle it? 

How could climbing the hill give you a different, more hope-filled perspective?