Sharing Hope!
My family
and I have been eating black-eyed peas with ham and corn bread on New Years Day
since January 1, 1978. We had moved to Granbury, Texas, four months before and
quickly began learning the culinary ways of Southerners. On that first New
Years Day in the Lone Star State, some close friends invited us to dinner and introduced
us to the tradition of eating black-eyed peas. We soon learned the reason behind
this perceived good luck and prosperity!.jpeg)
Photo: Compliments
of our Texas son, Marc!
This tradition
is thought to have had its roots in the post-Civil War era when African
American slaves celebrated the Emancipation Proclamation with hopes for freedom
and a new beginning. While many northerners would consider black-eyed peas to
be nothing more than animal feed, Southerners knew that these peas with ham
hock had kept them from starvation during Sherman’s march. I cannot imagine the
great suffering and loss behind the tradition that emerged from those awful
days in our country’s history!
Who
doesn’t welcome or need a little good luck these days? After starting the new
year with warmer than usual temperatures, we have found ourselves gripped by
dangerously cold, wintry conditions with snow in the last half of January. We
have been impacted by a blizzard that has cut across two thousand miles of the
country’s mid-section. It has been reported that there have been several deaths
due to hypothermia and that millions have been without power during this
vicious storm. Folks are suffering all around us!
The Bible
often speaks about God’s sovereignty, His providence, ordered ways and loving
purposes for creation. When referring to His most precious created ones, the
Psalmist exclaims, “Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your
workmanship is marvelous - how well I know it… You saw me before I was born.
Every day of my life was recorded in your book, every moment was laid out
before a single day had passed.” (Psalm 139:14-16, NLT). This is a
reminder that God is still in control even when our days are troubled!
I believe
this cherished promise, “We know that for those who love God all things work
together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28,
ESV). Many would be justified in thinking that bad things seem randomly to
happen to good people. I do not know why so many suffer. It doesn’t seem fair. While
my head has many questions, my heart tells me that God is good and lovingly
cares for us, especially when terrible things happen!
Out of his
own sufferings for Christ, the Apostle Paul declared, “All praise to God, the
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all
comfort! He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When
they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given
us.” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).
The
Bumps Are What You Climb On is
a practical and helpful little book by the late pastor and Bible teacher, Warren
Wiersbe. The reason I reference it often is in the subtitle, “Encouragement for
Difficult Days.” Like many of you, I face daily challenges. Dr. Wiersbe reminds
us that the word comfort comes from two Latin words, com meaning “with”
and fortis meaning “strong.” Comforters don’t just pat us on the shoulder
and send us on our way. Rather, true comforters stand with us and give us
strength to keep going. (p.91).
What does this tell us? We may not be able to explain why dreadful things happen to good people. But, we can be sharers of hope with each other! And surely we are continually in desperate need of hope, strength, and new beginnings! Who can you comfort today? How can you share hope with another person? These challenging days give us many opportunities to bless others. Will you be a sharer of hope to someone today?
active churchman and
doting grandparent.
Contact: drmjkeppler@gmail.com
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