I am bright shining rainbows. I am the light at the end of the tunnel. I am the “there’s always a positive side!” That’s who I am. That’s who I’ve programmed myself to be.
But this year was rain cloud after rain cloud after rain cloud. It was darkness and a never ending trek through the wilderness. It was asking God, “When will this come to an end?”
Because if it was up to me everything would be covered in glitter and sparkles and magic. There would be rays of light and the sun would shine so brightly all day long. That’s the world I want to live in. That’s the world my head lives in.
But the reality is, that sometimes things just suck. Sometimes a man eats a bat on accident and causes a worldwide sickness. Sometimes a president who doesn’t believe in science takes no action, and thousands upon thousands die. Sometimes the year 2020 exists and it throws punch after punch right in the gut.
And when you’re right in the middle of it, it’s hard to see a way out. It feels impossible. It feels like there’s absolutely no other solution.
But there is a relentless hope that anchors my soul. A hope that keeps fighting and fighting to be known.
It’s the hope that has been put through fire and trial. Often times wrung out and twisted every which way. The hope that has sustained heartbreak and tears and brokenness over and over again. This has and will always be, my silver lining.
It’s knowing that Jesus didn’t come into this world in an air-conditioned hospital room at Castle Medical. He didn’t even come in a room at all. It was a barn. With hay. Surrounded by animals.
Because in the most unlikely of places, the savior of the world was born.
And in the most unlikely of years, the savior of the world reigns light on all things. His birth reminds us that we have absolutely no idea. No way of predicting why things have happened the way they did or why things are happening the way they are or even what will happen next. But when our hope is in Him, safety will come when we least expect it.
It may come, and we may have no idea it’s arrived. It may come, and we may not know how to look for it. It may come, and we may not know what to do with it. But we can rest assured knowing that hope is coming.
So even if the rain cloud lingers over our heads, hope reminds us that the clouds will pass and make way for the rainbows. Even when it feels like everything is dark and dreary, we can dive deep and find something beautiful hidden underneath. Hope fights to tell us that the story doesn’t end with our questioning, but it keeps going on and on and on.