Bubbles of Hope in a Season of Despair

From within even the deepest grief there’s the foretaste of something paradoxical, illogical, nonsensical, new. The enemy will want us dissuaded in despair, but, as we hold onto the hope that God infuses into our hearts in that hope-filled moment, a moment we’re gifted with that runs cross-grain against the flow of loss that underscores the season, we have a first fruit of what’s coming.

The hope-filled moment is a bubble.

It’s the instant of experiencing a moment’s hope within even the rawest despair.

In an entire season of despair, there are thousands of these bubbles of hope, and as each bubble bursts we must remember the purpose of a bubble. Bubbles of hope come and bubbles of hope go, but one thing bubbles of hope do is they help sustain our hope.

Experiencing bubbles of hope in the season of despair seems cruel on the one hand, because that’s simply not our reality, but it’s kind on the other hand, because we sorely need such hope — and sometimes anything will do.

We need to believe that a new season of hope will shine through soon, even if it seems ever elusive, and even impossible some moments. It’s such a hope that keeps us hoping in the despairing season. This hope is not simply stringing us along — a hope deferred, making us sick (Proverbs 13:12) — because if we keep acting faithfully, obeying God by trusting Him for the promise of growth in the extraneous season, we’ll experience joy like a tree of life at the appropriate time (see Galatians 6:9).

But the point is this:

We must embrace the encouraging oasis vision
in the reality of the parched land.

If we don’t embrace what we can so easily be cynical or angry about, we cannot continue to act in the faith that transports us to that hope realised.

We find a way to steer past every grating annoyance and transcend every burgeoning fatigue.

Bubbles of hope contain sufficient oxygen to inspire life when despair threatens to kill our courage.

Where there are bubbles,

there’s oxygen,

meaning signs of life,

and where there’s life,

there’s hope.

As you sojourn in a season of despair, whether it ends up being a week or a year or three, may you be blessed in the knowledge of God’s faith in you as you trust Him.

Steve Wickham.