The first year my husband and I were married I read about a strawberry festival taking place in a little town about an hour away. Picturing in my mind exactly what it would look like, I was thrilled when my husband finally succumbed to going with me. I imagined strawberry shortcake and homemade jam being sold along with fresh strawberries to bring home. Much to my dismay, as we pulled in everything was vastly different than what I had seen in my mind’s eye.
Instead of stands selling strawberry shortcake there were stands selling corn dogs and funnel cakes. Now, don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a good corn dog at the state fair but this was not what I had in mind at a strawberry festival. Instead of homemade jams there was a traffic jam. A parade took up the town square that had nothing to do with strawberries but included barefoot children eating corn dogs and a man dressed up like a sub sandwich. I enjoy barefooted children – at the beach. I enjoy a sub sandwich – but that’s not what I had come looking for.
Oh, and about those fresh strawberries to bring home? There were none. The harsh winter had prolonged the strawberries ripening and there were NO STRAWBERRIES at the STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL! My husband has never let me live that one down.
Maybe I’d seen too many movies where everything plays out beautifully. Couples laughing and enjoying a small town festival. Bumping into old friends. Eating yummy treats. Winning huge stuffed animals. Falling in love. Ever since that time, when I get grand ideas of what something will look like, my husband only has to say, “strawberry festival” to get me back to reality.
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
Hebrews 11:1
We all hope for many things. In the hoping stage things usually play out differently in our minds than how they play out in real life. It is in these times that we must be careful not to miss the God moments. There are few things in this life that are sure and certain but we must not become jaded in our ability to hope. Maybe we need to have a reality check in what our hope is really in.
Edward Mote wrote the famous hymn, “My Hope is Built on Nothing Less” in 1834. Here are the some of the lyrics:
1. My hope is built on nothing less
than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
Refrain:
On Christ the solid rock I stand,
all other ground is sinking sand;
all other ground is sinking sand.
In these shifting times, may our hope be built on NOTHING less than Jesus. His blood was shed to provide the way to righteousness. Only in Him is our foundation sure and certain. Only in Him is our hope sure and certain. Even when we cannot see what the future holds we can be anchored when our hope is built on a sure foundation – Jesus, the Rock.
We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.
Hebrews 6:19
Let’s choose to steer clear of cynicism and doubt. Let’s keep our spiritual eyes open to the things our natural eyes cannot see.
Consider the story of Stephen in the Bible. Surely the way Stephen’s story played out was not exactly how the early church had imagined. He was a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit (Acts 6:5). Full of God’s grace, power, and wisdom (Acts 6:8,10). Yet opposition arose. After speaking boldly to his opposers, they dragged Stephen out of the city to stone him.
But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
Acts 7:55-56
As his opposers stoned him, Stephen’s last words were: “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” (Acts 7:60)
Surely Stephen did not plan on being stoned that day. He was doing what he had been called by the Lord to do. Full of faith. Full of the Holy Spirit. Full wisdom. Full of power. Full of grace.
In the midst of a horrible circumstance, something beautiful played out. Stephen chose to see through his spiritual eyes rather than only through his natural eyes. He saw Jesus! Seeing Jesus gave him hope. Seeing Jesus enabled him to face undeserved suffering. Seeing Jesus allowed his heart to forgive. Seeing Jesus made his faith sure and his hope certain. His brothers and sisters in the Lord witnessed this tragedy but were also able to rise above their natural vision. As they mourned deeply for Stephen, the church was persecuted and scattered. But, “those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.” (Acts 8:4)
If those who had been scattered took up offense or fear or hopelessness – the Word of God would not have spread wherever they went. Offense would have spread. Fear would have spread. Negativity would have spread – wherever they went.
We’ve all experienced things that did not turn out how we imagined. Little things (like strawberry festivals) and big things (like unexpected death). What do we want to be spread wherever we go? Let’s trust Jesus in the midst of the good, the bad and the ugly. Let’s choose, no matter what, to spread the hope of Jesus.
Sure, the strawberry festival wasn’t how I imagined it but my husband and I came away with a lesson learned and a shared experience we’re still laughing about 25 years later.
