By Sarah Dornbos
Romans 5:3-5 says, “We also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint (some translations say, “hope does not put us to shame”), because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. This verse in Romans has always been challenging for me. The list of virtues leading to hope begins with suffering- what!? Most often, we think of hope as being harmless, yet this verse adds suffering right at the beginning of its definition.
If I look at my own life, my hopes often begin at a place of emptiness, grief, or suffering. I think about my hopes for the students I work with and the lack of resources and opportunities they have by virtue of where they were born. I think of my hope to be married someday. I think of my friend’s hope for a baby, and the deep pain this hope causes her each month. These are hopes because they begin in a place of absence; of something that has yet to happen or may not be guaranteed. Hope depends on the ellipses of the things yet to come. Romans goes on to say, “Who hopes for what they already have?” Hope is being unsettled with the way things are, which helps us to persevere, even when that perseverance is painful and costly. “If we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently”.
No one I know loves waiting. To actively wait and continue hoping goes against our human nature. Yet, we show up in our weekly mentoring sessions and we keep praying even when we don’t have answers. Something happens as we persevere- not when we are done persevering- but in the process of persevering, God shapes our character to be more like Him. He gives us hope for eternal desires that He has promised for us. God molds our hearts as we actively wait for His promises. Character shapes how we persevere. This stretching of character doesn’t happen perfectly, or even quickly: but after a prolonged period of perseverance, we find our desires shifting from changed circumstances to a changed relationship with God. Often, instead of the change we long for, we are given the presence of Christ and discover that He is enough to get us through one more day of suffering, poverty, singleness, or hopelessness. Though the families in our community are still suffering, we heal, grow, and learn about Christ by being in relationship them. In fact, I have a quote by Mother Teresa written in sharpie on the wall in my bedroom that says, “Only in heaven will we see how much we owe the poor for teaching us how to love God better.”
Only in heaven will we see how much we owe the poor for teaching us how to love God better.
Mother Teresa
The circumstances we hope for will often remain out of our control, yet the one who created the world remains faithful to us as we wait, suffer, and grieve. Like the tulip bulbs that need seasons of darkness and winter to bloom- our souls can bloom a type of character that looks for God in all things. Not only when we finish, but as we wait and hope in the things that have yet to come.
Be encouraged that your continuing prayers for your students are part of this active waiting that brings hope- Kids Hope.