HOPE

The fifth gift is Hope: "Through each passage and season, may you trust the goodness of life.”

It arrived a few days before Christmas last year. Delivered by the elves in brown: UPS. A gift from my mother who every now and then gets a crazy whim and shops online. At first I was excited, especially when I opened the box and took out the catalog that was on top. It looked like a neat store. There were many things on the cover I would have liked. Then, I lifted out what she had actually sent. Wow, but not in a good way. She paid money for this? It’s gaudy, and ugly. Why did she send this? I didn’t need this. Of all things! Here I am back in the work world after 10 years making $8 per hour just to make ends meet. You’ve got to be kidding me. She should have just sent me cash. At least I could put gas in the car. I stared at it. I wanted to just put it back in the box and throw it in the back of the closet. It seemed to be mocking me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsPg2lHrf30

In came my kids. “Wow (in a good way.) What does it do? Is it from grandma? Plug it in, let’s see what it does.” So we did. I watched the wonder of my children’s faces as the angel from the box began to do her thing. Turns out she lights up and a Christmas tree spins around in the letter O of the word HOPE while playing Christmas songs. Then it hit me. I needed this. Needed it badly. I needed reminding that things would get better. That there was something bigger that I was working for than just $8 dollars an hour. It was a vision, a calling, something I couldn’t run away from, even when common sense said this is stupid. It was the hope of this place: New Mercies Farms. A place where people could come and belong. Where we could connect and heal. Where we could remember that God is big, and beautiful. His fingerprints are all around us. In all creation, calling out to us. Dare to hope this year. Trust in the goodness no matter what season you find yourself in. Sometimes hope comes in very unexpected ways. God’s son, wrapped in flesh, in a dirty stable, because we needed hope. Crazy, right? Maybe, but everyday since that angel has sat on my desk reminding me that I have hope. That He who promised IS faithful. This place is becoming a reality. Lives are being touched. God is working. Anticipation is growing. Come out and see us and experience hope.