Hope
Yesterday, I wrote about struggles. About acknowledging struggles. Just a few minutes ago, I read an article about how obesity is linked to poverty, because poor people cannot afford to buy healthy food.
Whenever I see these kinds of articles, I always see responses like, "That is not true. If people would just learn how to (insert whatever idea in here), they would be able to eat healthy."
Those responses remind me a lot of so-called ideas of encouragement today.
What is the difference between the ideas of encouragement and positive thinking that are presented today and the idea of real hope, of real faith?
Today's ideas of encouragement and positive thinking are a lot like the comments, "If you would just buy whole foods instead of processed foods, you would be healthier," "If you would just buy fruits and veggies instead of processed convenience foods, you would be healthier." Just like these comments do not take into account the fact that sometimes people cannot afford to eat healthier because, by dollar amount, the same cost of one or two meals worth of salad would be five to eight meals with boxed macaroni and cheese (and dollar amount counts when you're limited); today's ideas of encouragement and positive thinking do not take into account that telling someone who is hurt, who is broken, who is reaching out for understanding to just think positively is like a stab in the back. Sure, they want to be able to feed their families good, nutritious meals, but sometimes that means adding canned fruit into the mixture. It's whatever $20.00 for the week will cover. In the same way, sometimes people want to be able to think positively, but they are facing too much.
Some of my favorite Bible Verses are the ones in which the people of God call out to Him and tell Him exactly what is on their minds. Here are some examples:
"Awake and help me, and behold! You therefore, O Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel, Awake to punish all the nations; do not be merciful to any wicked transgressors" (Psalm 59:5, NKJV).
"Why is my pain perpetual and my wound incurable, which refuses to be healed? Will you surely be to me like an unreliable stream, as waters that fail?" (Jeremiah 15:18).
"It is enough! Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!" (II Kings 19:4b).
"Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness'" (II Corinthians 12:9a).
This last Verse is key. You see, all of these prayers were uttered by men of God. David, Jeremiah, Elijah, and Paul. Not one of them took the burden upon themselves. They were like the boy with five loaves and two fish. They were like the people with a box of macaroni and cheese and a can of mandarin oranges. They were like the people that just cannot muster a positive thought. And when God responds, He does not say, "Do better." He responds with, "My grace is sufficient. My strength is made perfect in your weakness. Trust Me, not yourself." We don't have to do better. We just need to have a tiny amount of faith (the size of a mustard seed) that He can do it. Our faith is not in positive thoughts. It is not in doing more than we can do as human beings. It is not in food. It is not in man's wisdom. It is in accepting that there are things that we cannot do, and in the hope that He can.
Whenever I see these kinds of articles, I always see responses like, "That is not true. If people would just learn how to (insert whatever idea in here), they would be able to eat healthy."
Those responses remind me a lot of so-called ideas of encouragement today.
What is the difference between the ideas of encouragement and positive thinking that are presented today and the idea of real hope, of real faith?
Today's ideas of encouragement and positive thinking are a lot like the comments, "If you would just buy whole foods instead of processed foods, you would be healthier," "If you would just buy fruits and veggies instead of processed convenience foods, you would be healthier." Just like these comments do not take into account the fact that sometimes people cannot afford to eat healthier because, by dollar amount, the same cost of one or two meals worth of salad would be five to eight meals with boxed macaroni and cheese (and dollar amount counts when you're limited); today's ideas of encouragement and positive thinking do not take into account that telling someone who is hurt, who is broken, who is reaching out for understanding to just think positively is like a stab in the back. Sure, they want to be able to feed their families good, nutritious meals, but sometimes that means adding canned fruit into the mixture. It's whatever $20.00 for the week will cover. In the same way, sometimes people want to be able to think positively, but they are facing too much.
Some of my favorite Bible Verses are the ones in which the people of God call out to Him and tell Him exactly what is on their minds. Here are some examples:
"Awake and help me, and behold! You therefore, O Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel, Awake to punish all the nations; do not be merciful to any wicked transgressors" (Psalm 59:5, NKJV).
"Why is my pain perpetual and my wound incurable, which refuses to be healed? Will you surely be to me like an unreliable stream, as waters that fail?" (Jeremiah 15:18).
"It is enough! Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!" (II Kings 19:4b).
"Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness'" (II Corinthians 12:9a).
This last Verse is key. You see, all of these prayers were uttered by men of God. David, Jeremiah, Elijah, and Paul. Not one of them took the burden upon themselves. They were like the boy with five loaves and two fish. They were like the people with a box of macaroni and cheese and a can of mandarin oranges. They were like the people that just cannot muster a positive thought. And when God responds, He does not say, "Do better." He responds with, "My grace is sufficient. My strength is made perfect in your weakness. Trust Me, not yourself." We don't have to do better. We just need to have a tiny amount of faith (the size of a mustard seed) that He can do it. Our faith is not in positive thoughts. It is not in doing more than we can do as human beings. It is not in food. It is not in man's wisdom. It is in accepting that there are things that we cannot do, and in the hope that He can.
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