Feathers

I awoke this morning thinking of hope.

My thoughts went to

-  an unemployed single mom who is struggling to keep it together.

-  a distant cousin whose life was uprooted recently only to have her husband laid off again in a different state, far, far away from all she has ever known.

-  a friend who was served divorce papers by the husband she loves so very much.

-  a deeply wounded friend who was physically and emotionally abused beyond my imagination as a child.

-  family and friends from both sides of the aisle who are living in fear of the outcome of the upcoming election.

Hope.

From the deep recesses of my mind came the Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) poem:

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all,

And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.

I've heard it in the chillest land
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.

It is a beautiful poem but I beg to differ with dear Emily. Hope does ask “a crumb of me”, of all of us. It asks us to believe, to trust, to have faith.

What or who is the source of your hope?

During Hurricane Isaac, one of the Weather Channel’s meteorologists explained how different trees fare in the high gales of a tropical storm or hurricane. Nothing compares to the palm tree. It is resilient and pliable. Its root depth exceeds its height. God gave the palm tree such an amazing root system because He knew it would face storms.

Where is your hope rooted?

There will be gales in life. Storms that will knock us off our feet, take our breath away and leave us clinging to what we know to be true. Our truth is in Jesus Christ. We need to be deeply rooted in Him. He is our hope.

Spend time with Him in prayer and reading His Word. Get to know Him. Your hope will build, your roots will grow deeper. Fear will fade.

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.” Hebrews 10:23

He is faithful!

Psalm 91:4 brings us back to feathers. 

“With His feathers He will cover you, and under His wings you shall seek refuge; His truth is a shield and buckler.” (LITL)

If you are struggling with hope today, crawl under His wings. Let His feathers cover you and protect you. No greater shield exists.

The storm will pass. 

Hope will remain.