Hope is the point where the flame connects to the wick. For many hope is akin to wishing for something. That something is an unsure thing- it may or may not happen- or you may not want it to happen: I hope it doesn't rain today, I hope I can get that promotion, I hope I can take that trip next year... When you're a person of faith, hope is not uncertain. It is that visible connection between something that hasn't happened yet but will in spite of what the circumstances look like in the present. It is a conviction, an assurance, an absolute based on the long-proven character of God Himself.
When I was admitted to the hospital I was hoping to be there for a few days with an oxygen mask to help control my intake of air. I could barely breathe and gasped for even the smallest intake of air. X-rays showed a bleak diagnosis- Covid 19 and Pneumonia. But both doctors and nurses treated me as if I was a mild case and would go home the next day. Their hope was low from experience. They had never seen a case as bad as mine come off the ventilator successfully. But they never stopped treating me as if I would. I surprised them 4 days later by successfully breathing on my own. Jeff's hope was in a higher place. While his emotions ran the gamut of the human experience, his faith and the prayers of many kept him anchored in that connection between flame and wick. And the day I came off the ventilator was the flame stretching up from the candle.
I am filling in a massive amount of open dates that occurred when I was in the hospital. Please do not feel obligated to comment on all of them. I will only be returning comments on the current day.
Thank you Kathy, Babs, Diana, Issi, Margo, Lynda, Haskar, Felicity and Katy!
And thanks so much for the favs!