Hope After The Holidays

Christmas is over. 2008 is here. And hope comes with it. New years have this funny habit of making us reflect. We look back at last year and forward to next year. We dare to hope. We think about changes we'd like to see happen- in our bodies, bank accounts, souls, careers, relationships, communities. Hoping isn't the hard part. Resolutions are everywhere right now. Keeping our hopes alive is the challenging work.

6 WEEKS TO THE SAME OLD YOU
How long does it take hope to waver? For expert analysis, I turned to my friend Frank. Frank owns a gym. He knows a thing or two about people who are full of hope, yet call it quits. According to Frank, most new gym memberships begin in January. Fueled by hope, people work out with a vengeance. How long does it last? About six weeks. By mid-February, the gym isn't nearly so crowded. By spring break, it is empty. Sound familiar? How do we break this cycle?

A LITTLE OLD SCHOOL HELP
We aren't the first to struggle to keep our hopes alive. Anyone with dreams has walked this road. A few even exceeded. Like Mary & Joseph. Most of us forget about them after 12/25. Hanging with Mary & Joe a little beyond the stable finds they've got plenty to teach us about sustaining hope. As we catch up with them in LUKE 2:21-24, they are 6 weeks into this new adventure of parenting the Hope of the world. About the time most of us surrender. But not them.

KEEP HOPE ALIVE BY MOVING FORWARD AFTER THE EXCITEMENT FADES
Why do we bail on our goals after 40 days? They aren't new anymore. Hope doesn't sparkle as brightly in the light of the ordinary. And don't Mary & Joe know it. 6 weeks of broken sleep, constant nursing and a dozen diapers a day rubs the shine off of parenthood pretty quickly. Yet Mary & Joe keep going. They stick with God's plan. Gracing their child with the name the angel provided nearly a year ago. Showing up at the Temple to honor the God-Father of their baby. If we want to see our hopes become reality, we'll need to do the same. When your new diet, savings plan, friendship, hobby, or spiritual practice becomes routine- and it will- push on.

KEEP HOPE ALIVE BY HOPING FOR THE RIGHT THINGS
Hope is a slippery thing. Although we start out with a clear goal, it often devolves into something else. A dream of health becomes a quest for a six pack, financial responsibility becomes a lust for wealth, friendship with God slides into self-righteous moral perfection. Keeping hope alive requires focus. When Mary & Joe go to the temple, they meet a guy who knows a thing or two about focused hope. SIMEON kept his hope alive by holding on to the promises God made to him. Although my goals for 2008 didn't come to me in a heavenly vision, I'm finding myself praying through them. Wondering if they fit with God's agenda for my life and His Kingdom. If we want to keep our dreams alive, we need to hope for the right things. How do we know what "the right things" are? We can ask ourselves- do our dreams come from God, or somewhere or someone else? Would Jesus smile and nod as He reads our list of resolutions? If not, I've got some re-thinking to do.

KEEP HOPE ALIVE BY EXPECTING TO WAIT
After encountering Simeon, Mary & Joe bump into someone else with a lesson to teach them (and us) about hope- ANNA. By conservative estimates, Anna is 107 years old- and very patient. She has dreams of her own, and is willing to wait for them. Unfortunately, patience and hope are joined at the hip. If we are to sustain our dreams, we'd better be prepared to wait. Maybe we can borrow one of Anna's secrets here. She knew that waiting doesn't mean inactivity. She is hoping to see her people set free- so she prays, fasts, worships DAILY. We can't make most of our goals happen today, but we can take small steps. Join the gym. Open the 401K. Read the scriptures. Knock on new neighbor's door. Patience and consistent activity can keep the flames of hope burning an awfully long time.

HAPPY NEW YEAR
So...Happy 2008. I hope your (and my) hopes come to pass. When we get bored, let's remember Mary & Joe and keep going. When we get distracted, let's think of Simeon and refocus. When we get impatient, let's envision Anna and be patient and busy. Ok, enough inspiration for now. I've gotta run to the gym.