If You Only Knew

"So God has given both His promise and His oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to Him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God's inner sanctuary. ---Hebrews 6:18-19

I think believers are truly the most blessed people. Why? Because even though we may be facing the worst storms of life, we still have that tiny, itty, bitty reminder in the back of our minds that this world is not our home. No matter whether or not we want to claim that truth during our storm (because sometimes - even as Christians - we don't want to believe the Word that we've heard all our lives), we have a promise of something better. God made us for the eternal, not the temperal. It is that reminder..that hope...that keeps us going even we we don't feel like it.

During my months of depression, I can honestly say that I never wanted to take my life. My symptoms were more "desperation". But during that time, even though there were days that I didn't want to believe it (refused to believe it), I knew that my hope rested in Christ alone. That truth was revealed to me one Friday at an appointment with my gynecologist. I fully expected her to suggest I have my blood tested for "craziness" and even (gulp!) pre-menopause. But what she said to me was the total opposite. She never suggested tests. She said, "Laura, you know that your Faith is the only thing that is going to get you through this." There it was. The strong and trustworthy anchor. And gradually, each day after that, God began to reveal Himself to me in simple ways. Mostly through reminders of scriptures from the Bible. My hope became stronger.

When I think of the hope I have in Christ, I think of the loved ones that have died and are now enjoying the joys of Heaven. My thoughts are based on what I've "lost" because I can remember what life was like with them here. But, thank goodness, God's thoughts are not my thoughts and when He mentions hope, he refers to the "gain" we'll receive. Isn't it just like Him to be so optimistic and uplifting? Christ knows the joys that will one day come with the hope we have in Him. I like to think of it as "something a little extra." Our minds cannot conceive the treasure our hope truly is, but God says, "If you only knew..."