Becoming is hard work. And on the long road from here to there we often wonder if we will make it. But hope gives us the endurance to become all that God has for us.
Day after day we work hard – seeking to make a difference in the world and forge meaningful relationships.
But despite all our hard work, it often feels like we’re barely making it – one strong wind will knock us out, and all our efforts with it.
Maybe our desires are unrealistic. Perhaps actually enjoying the fruit of our labor is for others and our fate is simply to survive. Or maybe we’ve become prideful. Isn’t it enough if we can feed our family?
It’s hard to keep showing up when our efforts don’t have the payoff we expected.
And certainly there is a time to step back and reevaluate.
Are our efforts in fertile ground capable of producing fruit? Or are we trying to plant seeds in the asphalt?
Are these the normal challenges of growth that call for our endurance? Or is it time to accept failure and try again elsewhere?
Occasionally, wisdom invites us to take another path, but more often it seems we need hopeful endurance on our current path.
Hope reminds us to trust the process. We are still on the way toward our potential.
A seed, for example, is designed to produce fruit. It’s what it was made for. But there’s still much waiting and a transformation that must take place before this happens.
The same is true in our journey of becoming.
Without hope we give up prematurely or settle for whatever we can get.
Anchored in hope we weather the storms – doing the work that matters and building lasting relationships.
Don’t let the delays and difficulties of growth take you out. Let hope anchor your soul on this long road of becoming.
