Hoping in the storms of life

As I watched my own world tumble and crash, I had two choices to make; to go down with it or rise above and run to Jesus. I chose to run to Jesus. Built on my foundation of faith, this running was to the anchor of hope I have in Him. Hope is the second virtue of our faith. It is what anchors the soul when the hurricane hits. It is what you hang on to when everything is telling you that it is useless. It is the fundamental truth of who Jesus is. For Hope in Him allows you to speak frankly to Him about your unbearable pain or the agony of grieving the loss you are experiencing at that moment. It is trusting Him when you see no way out and are in a state of confusion.

In Hebrews 6, you will read about hope being the anchor of your soul. In my anguish, I asked the Lord direct questions and I waited for His answers. They did not come fast or easy. They were delayed and obscure, making it very difficult to navigate in these waters. Because the waves where crashing all around me, all I could do was anchor down and wait. I told our Lord I didn’t understand any of this. While I waited, I began to recall readings from some of the saints and from scripture. I started to see some clarity through the storm. I even revisited the Catechism of the Catholic Church regarding the theological virtue of Hope (CC.1817-1821).

Pondering God’s creation and studying nature brings me closer to seeing God’s work within my midst. Because I was experiencing a storm, I thought about hurricanes. I pictured myself on a ship and was in rough seas and I had to throw the anchor over to hold fast to ground. For in this storm, I knew our Lord was near because of the peace I felt within. This brought me to think of the quiet and calm at the center, the eye of the storm. In this center, with no strength left, I just cried in His embrace. His presence, His mercy and His love was so strong that I began to have this new strength. 2^nd Corinthians 12: 10 came alive in me. Therefore, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and constraints, for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

I will always have storms in my life. That’s a given. Yet, I am on the bridge of hope that is between faith and charity. In this hope, I will continue to praise Him and adore Him all the days of my life. No matter what storm comes, I know it is He who strengthens me.