Finding Security in an Insecure World

The first time I heard this definition of hope was at Grandmother Ruth's funeral. The preacher said that the word he felt represented her life best was the word hope. He then went on to define hope as a confident expectation of good. As he spoke I thought about Grandmother Ruth. I remembered her ever present smile but I also remembered the stories she had told me of her life.

The smile she gave the people she encountered didn't come from a life of ease but from a heart at rest. Grandmother Ruth had known many difficult times. She knew what it was to be tossed on the sea of life with no visible means of rescue. She also knew what it meant in those times to let her anchor grip a solid rock. Her confidence and her expectations were not in herself or in the situations she found herself in. Her confidence and her expectations were in person and the promises of Jesus Christ.

It's been many years since I have seen Grandmother Ruth's smile but the memory of her smile and her hope lingers with me to this day. The memory of how she ran the race of faith causes me to have the courage to run with endurance the race that is set before me looking to Jesus who is the founder and perfecter of my faith. Grandmother Ruth was sure of what she hoped for she was confident about what she didn't see and that confidence gave her the courage to smile.

Now it's my turn to give to my children and my grandchildren the gift of my smile when I face uncertain times. I want them to know what I have learned about finding security in an insecure world. Though often my boat feels storm tossed I know my anchor holds secure. My confidence and my expectations are in the unfailing love of God, my heart is at rest and I can smile.

Father, thank You for the people You have given me who taught me deep lessons about life not with words but by example. Father, let me share with others what has been shared with me, a smile and the gift of hope.