Living in the Spirit

July 18, 2020

Scripture Reading: Romans 8:12-25

I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labour pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. –Romans 8:18-25

Hope that is seen is not hope. Is hope not seen being out of touch with reality? I do not know how many times I have seen the illustration of face masks worn and not worn and the percentage chance of someone getting Covid-19 based on whether a person wears a masked and all other people wear a  mask. I have heard from a few people that they think masks are hot and uncomfortable. These people wear them as rarely as possible. The complaint that seems out of touch with reality to me is the person who says, “You cannot tell me what to do.” We see the numbers of people getting COVID-19, and the number dying from it that is painfully real and all the hoping in the world will not change that unless we change our behavior.

Hope means to cherish a desire with expectation*. Our NBA team members are hoping to win the playoff, but they are first hoping to get to play toward winning the playoffs. In the first instance, they work every day, keeping their bodies in shape, developing new skills, and honing old ones. In the second instance, they are quarantined to avoid getting COVID-19, wear masks, wash their hands, and even practice basketball while social distancing. Hope is the opposite of giving up. Hope is the catalyst for doing the hard work to change that which needs to be changed or attain that which creates a better world.

Prayer: Lord, enrich our hope to drive us to heal the world not only of a virulent virus but also of apathy and selfishness. Amen.

*https://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/unabridged/hope

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.