Birds from a feather?

“Grandma, I am planting this feather I found so a bird can grow!” excitedly my granddaughter exclaimed. I had the opportunity to have my granddaughter Elynde stay for a bit over the summer this year. On one of our walks she found a feather and brought it home. Although she knew that birds come from eggs she had decided to plant a feather in hopes that a bird would grow from it. Children are always so filled with excitement, awe, innocence and hopefulness. They hope for their birthday’s, Christmas, vacations…..just about everything! They expect and trust that around the corner is something wonderful about to happen. We, as adults should be so fortunate to still possess this hopefulness that childhood provides!

The feather having been planted and left to “grow” yesterday was still awaiting it’s young gardener. Elynde quickly got dressed, ate breakfast and ran outside to see if her feather had grown yet. “Grandma”, she said, “No bird has grown yet”. After thinking about it a bit she said, “Well, maybe it just needs more time!” Elynde was hopeful that something would happen soon.

I thought to myself how many times have I hoped for things in life. I have hoped for a career I would love and never felt as if it was just a job. I have hoped for happiness and joy for my children and my other family members and friends. I have hoped for healing, prosperity, love and the ability to show others Jesus Christ through the way I conduct myself. I have hoped that even without words, my life would point others to Christ.

Hope. What is ‘hope‘? According to the dictionary, hope is a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen; a feeling of trust. Hope, such a wonderful word! Jeremiah 29:11 states, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Wow! The Lord’s thoughts for us are to have a future, peace and a hope.

Jeremiah 17: 7 says, “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord.” Who better to put your trust in? Jesus is my hope, my Savior, my Lord. My trust and expectations are in Him and Him alone. The creator of the universe, my redeemer, the way to eternal life. I have been fortunate to have many of my hopes fulfilled. I have also had some hopes not fulfilled the way I thought they should be. However, my Lord fulfilled them the way that He knew they should be handled. Often times those times have been met with blessings beyond my own comprehension and desires. Other times the Lord had a lesson for me to be learned, or a desire from Him to deepen my relationship with Him. Trusting, hoping, expecting, moves us along in life. Where is your ‘hope’ placed?

Some days, situations and even thoughts are filled with nothing but hopelessness. We desire healing for ourselves or others. We wish for peace among all mankind. We want justice, kindness, and a sense of purpose in life. Hope gives us exactly those things we so desire! Placing our trust and hope in Jesus Christ fills that void in our lives. Sounds too easy? Try it and see…… place your expectations, trust and hope in the one who wants to bless you and truly wants more for you in your life than you could ever imagine!

Hope! Expectation! Let’s all join Elynde and ‘grow’ a bird from a feather today!