Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God.  And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,  and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,  and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.  Romans 5:1-5

 December 2005, the Hilliard family expanded.  Liyuan became a part of our family even though it took another year and a half to bring her home.  Let me make this clear, she became a member of our family in our hearts and souls even though legally it took longer.  Larry and I requested to adopt this precious girl because we knew from just looking at her photographs that she was ours.  If you ask Larry, it was the French fry in her hand that sealed the deal!  In that year and a half we waited, worked on paperwork, and planned.  We had to choose what we would name her, and since she was almost 5 by the time we got her home, we decided she should keep her name.  It seemed to us that it would be really strange for her to come to us at almost 5 and to be told the name she had known all her life was now different.  But we did give her Hope as a middle name.

Let me back up a bit.  Mary Beth (she is actually Mary Elizabeth) is named after her grandmothers; Mary Ruth and Martha Elizabeth.  Olivia is named after 2 of her great-grandmothers and she has part of her Chinese name too; Olivia Pearl Wei.  Though Hope is not a family name, it is significant for our family.   In August 2005, our home was flooded in Hurricane Katrina.  We had 6 feet of water, sewage, and mud that touched or destroyed most everything we owned.  We had waded through flood waters 40 miles east of our home, where my in-laws home flooded as well.  We actually had decided God was calling us to adopt again about 2 weeks before the storm.  We didn’t  ignore that calling but put it on hold because it is hard to have a home study if you don’t have a home!

By December, we were in another home, had the basics of life restored, and were ready to live into that calling to adopt again.  Along our way of recovery from the storm, we had experienced many of what we came to call “signs of hope”.  One day, as we talked about names,  Mary Beth said, “Hope.  We should name her Hope because we had hope and she brings us hope!”  And as we say, the rest is history.

Hope is all around us.  Sometimes it is easy to see and experience, and sometimes it more difficult to discern.  In those times, we are so busy, or so stressed, or so disconnected, or struggling so, that it is hard to see and feel hope when it comes to us.

Lazarus, a good friend of Jesus, got sick and when it looked dire his sisters, Mary and Martha, sent for Jesus to come.  And yet Jesus waited 2 more days before making the journey to them.  By the time, he arrived, Lazarus had been dead 4 days.  Jesus wept as he saw the pain on their faces.  And then he ordered the stone to be moved so the tomb would be open.  Even though hope seemed to be gone, the Lord knew otherwise.  Jesus called Lazarus out of the tomb and he stepped out into the light, fully restored; fully alive.

There are times when we feel hopeless: when we are grieving; when life seems to only give us lemons and making lemonade seems an impossible task; when we struggle financially; when we lose our job especially if we are a single parent; when we experience natural disasters; when we or people we love face mental illness, alzheimer’s, ALS, cancer and more; when we look around and see our church declining instead of growing; when we experience abuse and violence.  If we are honest, the list could go on and on depending on our circumstances.

Yet, even in the face of a decaying body, there was hope even if those grieving could not see it.  Hope abounds because Jesus Christ came offering hope for hurting people.  Jesus came giving us hope that  gives life, eternal life!  As the Apostle Paul said, hope does not disappoint.

If you are in the midst of great struggle and hope seems quite elusive or even non existent.  I can’t tell you how long you will struggle.  I can’t tell you how it will get better.  But I can tell you HOPE ABOUNDS!  My family is living proof of hope;  we are a sign of hope.

Life has not always been easy since we became a family of 8.  We have had moments when it seemed that hope was not to be seen.  But God is faithful.  God’s love for us never waivers.  And just as Jesus brought hope to Lazarus’ family, hope comes to us.  Hope comes as we pray for one another, hope comes in a smile, hope comes as a casserole offered to a friend, hope comes in a hug, hope comes in the silent presence of some who cares about us.  Hope can even come unexpectedly like the day I found the missing piece to my grandpa’s rocking chair as I walked over to talk to my neighbor while mucking out our homes.  I had walked back and forth many times and had never seen the missing claw foot piece.   And yet, there it was.  Other than shape, it wasn’t recognizable as a part of the chair.  The chances of finding that piece were pretty slim because all kinds of things flowed out of our house as the water receded  – even down to the other end of the block.  Finding that piece restored my hope that life would be restored (as well as my grandpa’s chair).

If you are struggling today, you are in my prayers.  May today offer you a sign of hope: a sign of hope that life will get better; or a sign of hope that someone cares about you; or a sign of hope that you are not alone; or a sign of hope that leads to life.