Hope Hangs Above our Kitchen Sink

Whenever you go on a long journey, there are things you need to take with you, to make it to your destination. At the bare minimum, this usually means food and water. The time my husband and I hiked Mount Katahdin in Maine, with some friends, we filled our packs with trail mix, cliff bars, multiple water bottles, and PB&J sandwiches. When we did a road trip through Northern Ireland, we made stops for gluten free crackers, smoked salmon, and hot tea. Any trip worth taking requires supplies.

But not all journeys are outward and physical. Some of the longest ones that life has for us lead us inward. Though these odysseys through our souls are often brought on by outward circumstances—loss, disappointment, betrayal, stress, etc.—the supplies we need are not. God-given, they are seeds planted in our souls waiting for the waters of adversity to pour down.

Like muscles that have never been used, at first they are stiff and weak. But eventually, if we choose to work them—rather than wallowing in self-pity or giving up—they grow. They enable us to adapt, to keep going on the days we just want to stay in bed. These first set of muscles are called perseverance.

The more we use them, the more we decide to keep going even when we want to quit, another set of muscles begins to appear. These are known as our character. They are the part of us that decides to keep doing what we know is right—even when no one is looking, even when others are treating us badly, and even when we are tempted to cheat the system.

Together, perseverance and character are a powerful combination. And according to Romans chapter five, they are most potent when we are seeking God throughout our inward journey. In fact, in verse three, we are told that because of Jesus’s suffering on the cross, we can:

“…Rejoice in our suffering, because…suffering produces perseverance, perseverance—character, and character—hope.”

For many of us, our inward journeys are some of the most painful treks we will ever make. They are the times where hope most seems in short supply. But Romans five tells us that we can find all the hope we need in Jesus—and that we see this True Hope most clearly in our times of suffering.

Where you and I must pack our own food and water for the physical journeys we take, it is God who equips us for our inward journeys. It is through the sacrifice of Jesus that these treks inward are even possible. Suffering is a part of life, but Jesus is inviting us to go on the journey it offers so that perseverance, character, and hope will become a part of who we are.

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In our apartment, above our kitchen sink hangs a ceramic plaque. I don’t remember buying it—only that I did, when I was still single. Its painted red, black, and a golden brown. At the top, in scrolling black letters, it simply says, “Hope.” Underneath it, in smaller scrolling letters it quotes Romans 5:3.

When I bought this plaque, I thought it was just a nice phrase about hope. But since then, it has been a reminder to me through many painful, inward journeys of the hope Jesus has for me. When I was going through one of the loneliest times of my life—before we were married—on bad days, I’d stare at this plaque. Then, when I arrived on the other side of my journey, it reminded me of God’s faithfulness.

Now, years later, my husband and I are on another inward journey. The other night, while he was finishing up washing dishes, he pointed to it and said: “Never realized how much we would need to be reminded of this.”