I do really believe that there is nothing more dangerous to your heart than when you truly lose hope. I think we all can point to a time in our lives where we really questioned the trajectory of our life. We question the quest or journey we are on.
When confronted with unexpected bumps in the road and failures along the way we ask the dreaded, "How did I get here?" It seems that is when we are in the gravest place of losing hope. Deep within our hearts we find that this is a crushing blow. If our heart loses that hope what then?
The very existence of our dreams seems to be teetering.
I'm reminded of the Fellowship of the Ring quote by Tolkien "The Quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little, and it will fail ..." Losing hope in one’s heart means leading a life with no purpose. We catch ourselves muttering "what does it matter". So how does one choose to not lose hope? Even when things beyond our control have hammered us? Or people have betrayed and hurt us?
Finding joy.
What? We have to find joy? What does that mean or look like? I like what C.S. Lewis said
"All joy...emphasizes our pilgrim status; always reminds, beckons, awakens desire. Our best havings are wantings."
To once again have desire for hope,life,… even to dream we must choose joy. Because it's there that God beckons us to this divine conspiracy awakening our spirit to His desire ...for our dreams.
In Jeremiah 29:11 NCV ..."I know what I am planning for you," says the Lord. "I have good plans for you, not plans to hurt you. I will give you hope and a good future."(emphasis mine)
So hope is lost ...when joy cannot be found. Desire for dreaming is missing when joy is forgotten. Nothing is harder in my experiences than finding joy. But, I know I cannot change what I cannot control but I can control what I set my heart to.
Once again C.S. Lewis writes "The very nature of Joy makes nonsense of our common distinction between having and wanting."
I believe joy can be elusive ...it needs to be sought after. But finding joy makes all the difference.
1 comment:
Just finding your blog...what a great point. The largest battle and the biggest step in loosing a dream is how you handle the first steps thereafter. If you choose to take a joyful stance, if you choose to do the opposite of what you feel, speak faith, take your heart and tell it what to feel, refuse to be depressed but stand up, shake off the dust, choose a direction and head for it. "Forgetting those things that lay behind, we press on towards the prize of the high call." If we stay on the path that God has for us, we will intersect with those blessings and people He has ordained for our lives.
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