Hope Lives… Where?
Hope lives… where?
Written by Mwati Tembo
The presence of grief does not have to equate to the absence of hope. How can we truly put on hope in seasons of grief, pain and disappointment?
’There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.’
— Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
WHY Hope?
I recently finished writing a book about this four-letter word and I’ve spent months discovering deeper revelations on what it truly means or what it can mean to anyone who actively lives in it.
Here are a few things I’ve learnt:
Hope remains steadfast in and out of season.
Hope doesn’t compromise.
Hope is a choice.
Hope doesn’t take shortcuts.
Hope is resilient.
Hope trusts.
Hope waits.
Hope endures.
The presence of grief does not have to mean the absence of hope.
Ecclesiastes 3 tells us that there is a time for everything. It also tells us that there is a time to rejoice and time to mourn, a time to weep and a time to laugh. 2023 has been a big year for many of us and I won’t pretend to know what curveballs life has thrown at you. As we near the end of the year, a lot of us have most likely been looking back in reflection on what this year has been. For others, it might be easier to not reminisce. You may prefer to focus on the present moment and continue to look ahead to the future. Either way, I believe that hope is hovering over every single one of us leading up to the new year as we wait in expectation for things to truly be made new.
However you find yourself this season, I pray that the peace, rest and comfort of the Jesus would meet with you right where you are. If you feel like you’re in the middle of a storm or in the depths of a valley, I also want to propose to you that trying to rush past pain, grief or disappointment doesn’t have to be your only option. Hope is essential to the human condition. I believe that to hope is to be human, and to ignore, suppress or condemn our own emotions — including grief, pain or disappointment is like denying our very reality of actually being human.
You can grieve what’s been lost. You can mourn what hasn’t yet come to pass… or even what has. You can weep if you need to weep. You can lament if that’s how your soul chooses to process. You can cry out to God if you’re angry, confused or frustrated. He is your Father and he understands.
Choose to hope, but also choose to take courage in understanding grief and hope can coexist. You don’t have to grieve forever. This is ultimately why we look to Jesus as our eternal hope while believing that even suffering has its end.
Whatever it is you need to do to take steps towards hope, strength and courage, give yourself permission to do it. When you’re ready, and only when you’re ready, you can put off the sackcloth and remove your grave clothes. Allow Jesus to wipe away every tear and take the mess or complexity of your situation. Make room for the rising of a new dawn to come. Although weeping may have endured for a night, joy still comes in the morning — even if the coming of the morning takes a little time.
My latest book ‘Hope Lives Here’ is out this week! To find out more, visit my website: MWATI.COM