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}

I Just Need An Otter Pop... and other summer must-haves

It's halfway through June, and it's time to be talking about our summer must haves before we blink and realize it's September. Once again, I'm joining in with all the lovely people over at The Circle link-up to talk about what we need for summer. 

A good rain jacket. When I lived in Guatemala for a summer, I pretty much didn't take my rain coat off for two months. Colorado summers are notorious for being sunny in the morning and cloudy and rainy in the afternoon. Whether I'm hiking a 14er, headed to the water park, or just out with friends, I bring my rain coat with me everywhere. I'm like a Boy Scout- always prepared ;)  

{my handy dandy rain jacket to rescue on date night!}

A hair tie. This really is a must have all year around. I don't know about you, but even on a good hair day, my hair being down usually drives me crazy after a few hours. If I didn't care about looking pretty some of the time, I would have my hair up errday all day. Whenever I do wear my hair down, I make sure I have a hair tie just in case I need it later. If I need a hair tie and I don't have one- panic commences. #canigetanamen? 

Flip flops. I live in flip flops all summer long. Tennis shoes during the summer feels claustrophobic. I know about how lousy flip flops are for your feet, and at this point in my life, I just don't care.

{I don't always wear flip flops in the snow, but when I do it's summer in Colorado and I had no idea there'd be snow}

A good book. Whether you're by the pool lounging, or in the car on a long road trip, a good book is a must have for summer vacation. I have yet to jump into some really good fiction, so if you have any suggestions let me know! Last summer, I could not get enough of Rachel Hauck's books. If you're in need of ideas and like clean romantic fiction, I would highly recommend her books (especially one called "The Wedding Dress").

A sense of adventure. Something about summer brings out my sense of adventure. It's nice outside so all of a sudden I want to hike all of the mountains, I want to meet all the people, and I want to do all of the things. Anyone else get like this during summertime??

{I know what you're thinking... you wish you could jump that high too ;) }

But really all I need is... an otter pop. If I could choose one thing on this list that I needed, it would be otter pops. For those of you who don't know what otter pops are, I'm really sorry that your childhood was deprived and you should probably go to your nearest Wal-Mart and buy some right.now. For educational purposes, this is what an otter pop is. 

It's the most basic form of a popsicle that toddlers love. I'm 24 going on 4 so they are obviously my favorite things in the world. During the summer, otter pops are my dessert, my snack, and a part of my breakfast or lunch. 

What are some of your summer must haves?? Do we share any must haves?