Hope

“In His name the nations will put their hope.” Matthew 12:21 NIV

To be clear, His name is not Donald or Joe. Election day is tomorrow, and it appropriately has our nation paying attention. Voter turnout may be the highest ever. It should be. Why in the world we are not in the 90% range every election is sort of baffling to me. Unfortunately, we may not know the final results on Wednesday morning. Mail in ballots and controversy may rule the day, but eventually we will have elected a president.

In the end around 50% of our country will think we have elected the one person who can successfully lead our country. The other 50% or so will be convinced that we have made a choice that will ultimately destroy our country. Everyone who thinks either extreme will be wrong. Neither Donald nor Joe can bring true hope. The only source of such high expectations is not on the ballot. Neither candidate will have an arm long enough or a program big enough to reach people under the bridge on Kellogg. The arm long enough to reach someone may be my own.

The part of the world that I impact is small. I work in a job that places me alone in a car on the road. I see all types of people. Most are willing to talk and can tell you stories that are fascinating. The most common challenge is the time between clients. My mind can drift into thoughts of worry about many things: making a living, paying bills, friends, health, family, future, past and on and on. It struck me today how much time I was spending thinking about me.

Today I worked in my largest city. I saw literally dozens of people sleeping on sidewalks or on any small patch of grass. There were people sleeping under bridges. I saw one person today who was too drunk to get her car in gear at a Quicktrip. I also stood next to a man in a restroom while he told someone on the other end of a cell phone how bad his Covid symptoms were. Encouraging, yet troubling. Even if I had intended to help everyone I saw I would have run out of time – and money - before I ran out of people. What am I supposed to do? What do I have to offer anyone that will last, that will make a significant difference?

Hope. I looked up how Google defined it: “a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.” That sounds beautiful. My hope is not in either candidate for any office. Every person we elect for every office will eventually either be voted out or reach a term limit. If they are the reason we have hope, we are tragically misguided. Hope has no term limit.

I cannot fix the problems in my own life, much less someone else’s. I can remind myself that the thing I am waiting for is a Savior, not an elected one – Jesus volunteered. Every person I see who is in need can tap into the same source. It is inexhaustible. Every worry I can think of can be countered and overcome by a blessing and by the hope of Jesus.

What do you look forward to most?

Have you told anyone about it lately?

Challenge: Think about how you would explain the hope offered by the gospel. Simplify it. Pray for opportunities. Look for opportunities. Spread some hope.

Rick Claiborn