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Some friends were teasing me last weekend about how I like to be in control of things.
Have a plan.
Have a pretty good idea what’s coming up.
Have a pulse on the future.
And, yeah, life doesn’t really work that way. Often, I tell myself this is a good thing. After all, if I was in control, if I was certain what the future held, then there’d be no point in trusting God.
Well, I realized something else just the other day.
If I was in control of my own future…
If I knew exactly what was going to happen…
If I could see the big picture right now…
…there’d be no reason to hope. Right?
There’d only be…waiting. Waiting for what I knew to be inevitable.
After all, hope can’t really coexist with certainty, can it?* For instance, if I know without a doubt that I’m going to one day win a trip to Europe, well then I don’t really need to hope it happens. I just need to…wait. (And, well, renew my passport!)
A life without hope? That’s just bland.
So here’s to not knowing what the future holds, to being cool with not being in control…
And to hope.
Your thoughts?
*Unless we’re talking about hoping in Christ, in which there’s always the certainty of his love and faithfulness. But even then, we can’t know exactly how that love and faithfulness is going to play out in the specifics of everyday life. And now that I’m thinking about it, isn’t that part of the adventure in life? Trust. Hope. Adventure. I think I’ll take ’em.
Comments 27
I agree that sometimes waiting is more stressful than uncertainty. And there are so many things in my life I’m glad I didn’t know ahead of time, both good and bad! But I’ve been mulling lately about the Hebrews definition of faith–the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Faith and hope go hand in hand. You can’t really have one without the other.
I like that–faith and hope going hand in hand. You know what, reading your comment made me stop and think. I’ve read that verse in Hebrews a lot and often stop at “hope” and “things not seen” But it’s the “substance” and “evidence” part that stand out to me now…I don’t know, it’s got me thinking about it in a different way this afternoon. Love when blog conversation does that!
Life is living forward … not living backward, not living “already done that” or “already know what’s coming so I’m coasting to the finish line, thank you very much.”
So, by definition, life is uncomfortable.
I make plans — and my plans are blasted to bits. What are plans after all but my attempt to be in control.
If I had to choose between knowing and hope … I’d choose hope.
And I’d also choose knowing who I place my hope in. And that would be God — not me.
“What are plans after all but my attempt to be in control.”
You nailed it, Beth. And I agree with you on choosing hope over knowing. 🙂
An old hymn that’s special to me says that God in love “draws a veil” across the future & that since “we cannot see what lies before” then “so we cling to Him the more.” I know God has to do this with me because otherwise I get a little too big for my britches. (And they’re tight enough already from all the flavored coffee creamers & chocolate!) Blessings, Melissa!
Flavored coffee creamer and chocolate–you are a woman after my own heart, Renee. 😀
Ah, being in control … I’ve learned not to make solid(haha) plans anymore, but to point myself in a general direction–toward the Light, then try to learn as I go.
Amen, Melissa. Hope is a blessing.
Learning as we go…it’s one of the few constants in life, yeah? That there’s always going to be something else to learn. 🙂
Hope. I love that word. I love all that it encompasses. And you’re absolutely right. If we knew everything, where would the adventure be in that? I think there are different kinds of hope. One kind of hope is the one found in Jesus Christ, which is our soul’s anchor and the assurance of our eternal home. The other kind of hope is the one that is wrapped up in all the “what ifs” and “maybes” of life. I’m so thankful for both. I’m thankful that God takes pleasure in watching us hope–and He takes more pleasure in giving us the things we hope for.
You know what’s funny about this hope topic? I’ve been working on book revisions this weekend and realizing my spiritual thread is a little off with one of my characters…realizing she analyzes life through a series of “what ifs” to the point that she can’t seem to see “what is.” And that clogs up her ability to hope…
I like how you differentiated between the two kinds of hope!
I think that if we were in control of our future we would miss so much. God uses the difficult and sometimes unpleasant times to teach us things and help us grow. But if we could see our future would we choose to willingly walk through those dark and painful times? I am thankful I can trust in God for my tomorrows and know that as long as I seek and obey his perfect will for my life, my future will be greater than anything I could imagine for myself.
Such a good point, Rebecca. If we could see all that was to come, would we be willing to walk through it??
As one who likes to be in control, I appreciated the reminder in this post. I do get that hope is important and has a place. Really, I do. Without it, life can be bland, just as you said. At time’s I’ve understood that truth, known it, lived it. For instance, Gwynly and I had to wait until our daughter was born to discover we were having a girl. She was modest and remained in such a position that the ultrasounds didn’t reveal anything. I liked it that way. I had nine and a half months (yup, she took forever to make her appearance) to hope I was having a girl. Had I known, I would have just been waiting impatiently for what I knew was going to happen. I think the Lord knew I needed a lesson in hope. Perhaps He was preparing me for my future career as a writer. 🙂
Glad I’m not the only one who likes to be in control, Keli. Love that God gave you a lesson in hope through your daughter and her birth!
Well, you see, I don’t want to know what’s around the bend. That’s the fun part of living. Kind of like Christmas presents under the tree. How many times was the present not as exciting as the wondering and waiting until Christmas morning? Unless you peaked and then it wasn’t any fun at all.
Great post, Melissa!
You’re right…I think we sometimes think if we know what’s ahead, it’ll be better somehow. But just like your Christmas present analogy, it’s not.
Ok. This was really good, Melissa. You got me thinking…:) Cause, yah, I’m a control freak too!
Control freaks unite! 😀
Wonderful thoughts, Melissa. Yes, I’ll take hope! Plus, if we knew in advance about our rough times, we could get depressed, lose hope, and not want to continue. I’d rather have uncertainty any day!
Yeah, exactly, Jill. 🙂
Loved this, Melissa. Thanks for the reminder that hope is an important part of my walk with Jesus. Loved your thoughts here today!
Thanks, Jeanne!
Beautiful reminder, Melissa.
I tend to like knowing what’s coming. Not necessarily something BIG God’s return (it’d be tough if I wanted to know that since, it’s unknowable ;D) but more in the imminent future – I don’t do well with uncertainty. Once I know what is about to happen or what has to happen, I am okay because then nothing can be changed. Somehow I can rectify that in my mind where I cannot uncertainty.
I hear ya, Rissi. There’s a degree of security in knowing what’s coming up next…
Beautiful, Melissa.
And hope you get that trip to Europe soon. 🙂
Thanks, Ian! It’s been five years since I’ve been out of the country, so I guess I’m going through withdrawal. 🙂 But hey, if I’m going to take a trip, I should make sure to stop by the Australia area too! 🙂
Love to have you down under. I can show you around Sydney and I’m certain Rel would be delighted to show you her beautiful Melbourne. See you soon in indy. 🙂