At
the Sister's Tea - Hope
(Reflection - October 2004)
We
all know the story of Abraham, a man of God whose strong
faith in a living God motivated him to “against hope believe
in hope” that Sarah would give birth to a son. But Abraham’s
hope was different from the hope we hold today. His trust in God was the
purest kind which is why Abraham was noted for his strong faith in God.
When we consider the very rich history of prophecy fulfilled, along with
the significant amount of justification that God is indeed working in
the lives of men, we are living in a very blessed generation. We have
abundant proof that God means what He says.
Biblical hope
We all have an aspect of hope for the future that is somewhat different
from biblical hope. We hope that our children will accept the truth; we
hope that illness will be avoided, and so on. Biblical hope, however,
is based on the certain promises of God. Because of what God has done
in the past, particularly in fulfilling countless prophecies, the believer
can feel confident in the coming blessings to be poured out on the earth.
In fact, hope in God only exists when the blessings are not apparent:
“For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope:
for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for it?” (Rom. 8:24).
Now think for a minute about the days we are living in. All of us have
seen friends, neighbors and coworkers with the absence of biblical hope.
We’ve noted that people who don’t have the assurance of knowing
God and His plan for salvation live uneasy lives. In this regard, I’d
like to share a story with you.
The impact of 9/11
On September 11, 2001, we received word at our dental office, (I’m
a dental hygienist), about what was happening in New York City and Washington
DC. At lunch we all went to a restaurant and were watching as the World
Trade Center buildings collapsed. I cannot express the emotions that everyone
was experiencing but I remember telling them all that this must be related
to the United States’ support of Israel. Afterward I loaned every
one except the dentist the film, “The Middle East and Your Future”
(a Christadelphian video available from WCF).
One day the dentist and I were in the lunchroom when she commented she
couldn’t sleep with worry over what was happening in the world.
I was well aware something had been bothering her since she had been short-tempered
and preoccupied with petty trivialities. I immediately thought of: “And
there shall be signs…Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and
for looking after those things which are coming on the earth…”
I had the opportunity to share with her the prophecies concerning the
Jews, their scattering and persecution and how the state of Israel was
formed in 1948. I pointed out this was the only nation to be reestablished
in their own land after 2,000 years.
She actually scoffed at me and said, “How could that be.”
But she agreed to have a look at my evidence if I would put it together.
So I took great pains to present the biblical passages with a cover letter
and to give her the video I had lent the other coworkers.
The next day I was scheduled to work, I found a letter and the whole package
returned to me on my desk. The letter said that she would never scoff
at anything I said, that the material was very interesting and she had
great respect for my beliefs.
The information was shared
While the dentist never said another word, her demeanor in the office
changed and the uncertainty in her outlook was better. Sometime later,
I was readying to clean her husband’s teeth when he remarked, “The
Rabbi believes you must be a converted Jew.” The dentist must
have taken it to her husband and the Rabbi.
The point of this story is that I was able to share my hope that is within
me and that, by doing so, it somehow gave someone close to me a sense
of peace. I don’t know what more it did, but perhaps it ignited
a spark that I will never know about. At any rate, I am no longer shy
when it comes to speaking up about a biblical principle.
Our hope is such a precious gift, we really must make a sincere effort
to do our best to share it with others, even though we may be taking a
risk. The risk is that to whomever we witness, they may choose to avoid
us in the future; but the hope we may ignite in them is worth the risk.
Our behavior can also witness to our hope. People who understand the future
and hope to be part of it, stand out from those who do not possess any
hope. And they live their lives differently with more confidence and peace.
Have you let your hope shine through lately? And more importantly, have
you shared that hope with anyone lately? I’d like to encourage you
all to step out in faith and share the most precious gift we have in this
very perilous world. What the world needs now is hope, real and everlasting
hope.
Connie Bonvechio, Treasure Coast, Florida at the 2003 Florida Bible
School Sister’s Tea