Hope

Last Sunday, our church's communion table did not contain the usual bread and wine. Instead, there was a mixing bowl, eggs, flour, etc.. All the ingredients for the bread, but clearly not the finished product. As we look forward to Christmas, we wait in anticipation to celebrate the fulfillment of so many promises and the source of our hope.

Yesterday, Roz and I met with the surgeon who will perform my surgery. I'm on the list for surgery and will get the next available spot. The latest possible date is February 3rd, but mid-late January is possible too. I feel like we now have the ingredients. Now comes the patient anticipation and the hope. Hope is not blind wishful thinking. It is a deep rooted assurance, grounded in the knowledge that God works all things together for good. That's true for the good parts of life and for the hard parts of life. We know that this whole crazy experience will be used for good. This is not for nothing. This is not an accident. This is not hopeless.