This Is Not the End of the Story

Just the other night, I sat on my couch with tears streaming down my face as I talked to a friend about the hard in life. Our conversation that night had taken us to all corners of our friendship- talking about the tragedy in Nepal, about personal struggles, and discussing our faith.

At this point in time, my friend believes differently than I do, and as they asked me really challenging {but good} questions about my faith, I realized how many answers I don't have.

As the friend respectfully dug deep into my belief system, I was struck with the realization that there are things about my faith that I.just.don't.get. But I still believe- I guess that's why they call it faith, right?

While I realized that there were so many things I didn't have an answer to, I also remembered why I'm okay with not knowing those answers.

I shared with my friend, that over the past several years, I have developed a passionate sense of hope. I have hope that this is not the end of the story. This world, friends, is not the whole story. This hope is how I am able to accept missing answers. This hope means more to me than a perfect theological understanding of my beliefs ever will.

Do you have this hope? Hebrews 13:5 is one of my favorite verses in the entire Bible, it says:

"For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come" (NLT)

It is so easy to let this world draw our eyes off the hope that is ours every day. If you watch the news, you know the awful stories that happen on a daily basis. But even if you're like me and choose to avoid the news (for the most part), our hearts can still be easily drug down by the weight of this world.

Tonight, my heart is heavy for friends that are going through inexplicable tragedy. My heart aches for a loved one who is struggling, yet I know I can't do anything for them. My heart is ripped out of my chest most days that I'm at work when yet another child abuse case or terminal brain tumor walks through the doors of my wing. My heart aches for Charleston, and the survivors that are simply trying to make it through tomorrow.

But amidst the heaviness of my heart, there is also a deep longing; a deep hope. 

I know that this is not the end of the story. I know that one day there will be no more sickness, tragedy, and tears. I know that there is hope in a Savior who came to redeem all parts that are broken whether it's a broken marriage, broken relationship, or broken body.

As someone who hasn't faced that much tragedy in their life, I know that it is easy for me to speak of this hope. I often wonder how quickly this sense of hope might disappear were I faced with a sudden tragedy. I'm honest with myself about it, and pray every day for my faith to be increased so that when that day does come, I will not falter.

In the meantime, I urge you friends to find your hope. Find the hope that is buried under a heavy heart. Believe in hope even if you can't feel it. Jesus isn't finished with your story or the stories of those around us. He is glorified through all things, and we can have hope that one day we will understand.

I am okay not knowing all the answers, because what I do know is what matters most to me. If you are struggling with your beliefs right now, I encourage you to question question and question some more. Search for those answers, but be aware that you may not find all of them. If you're like me, you won't need all the answers before you can have faith. You will come to deeply know and understand a quality of God or an aspect of the faith, and suddenly all the questions won't seem to matte as much anymore.

I have faith and thus I have hope. And because I have hope, I have everything.

Is there one part of your faith that you hold onto when the world is spinning out of control? Or is there a part of your faith you really struggle with? I would love to hear both. 

{Sharing this with everyone over at Tuesday Talk}