Keeping The Hope Alive
In January 2020, Brian and I made a goal to have more date getaways. And then everything suddenly went bananas, so that was kind of the last mention of that. We’ve been through a survival season these past two years. Leading a small church in this cultural moment sometimes felt like being a lighthouse keeper when everyone would prefer sheer dark. The work is important, but fraught. And it never ends.
We’ve been learning a lot, going to counseling, investing in meaningful friendships and keeping after healthier life rhythms. We want to make it through these years of ministry, parenting, life and marriage with our souls intact. Not jaded, bitter, burnt out or having given up.
Our season is full of kid conversations, “teachable moments” (many of them the “what the heck were you thinking, kid?” kind), fun kid stuff, hard kid stuff, our kids getting older and having decisions that seem ever more important. And so many kid words spilling out all over each other.
We carve out regular time for walks and date nights, but we’re really missing the restorative impact of an extended time away. Time to rest, recharge, and then dream again. We’re taking time this week, (praise hands!) and we’re packing a fresh copy of The Vision Course.
Vision-setting is part of Brian’s native genius (thank you, Multipliers!). For years he has been refining the vision-setting process, walking others through it, and distilling it into a shareable format. Our best momentum comes from the time we have spent working this process, getting excited about what’s next and clarifying the steps to get there.
Something to look forward to helps energize us, galvanize us and propel us.
The target we look toward can be all the difference: The wait for an anticipated package to arrive versus the wait for a nurse to call you from the waiting room for your annual physical.
In larger perspective, we do this as people of faith, knowing that anything earthly can be endured, “for the joy set before,” (Hebrews 12) with sights set toward our Heavenly home, as Christ did. It’s easy to lose a handle on that in the middle of it all. So take time to re-calibrate. Remember what you’re looking forward to, both Heavenly and earthly.
Today’s Practice: What are your hopes set on? Look for a way to keep this hope alive and in focus.
