Remember the story about “Chicken Little”? When one small acorn fell on his head, he immediately assumed “the sky was falling” and that he was the one who should go to alert the king of the imminent disaster. On his way to the palace, he warned his many friends – Goosey Poosey, Cocky Locky, and several others, that there was soon going to be a major calamity. His feelings of despair and desperation were enormously contagious even though there were really no valid reasons for any of them to give up hope for survival. Had any of those friends been able to stand back and evaluate the situation, perhaps all of them could have regained their equilibrium and realized their friend’s hopelessness was not based on reality.
In some ways, the big world we live in today is similar to the small world of those feathered friends. As we listen to the news media, grow discontent with our national and local politics, and think about the tragic needs of people around the world, the feelings of hopelessness and despondency can easily creep into our minds and hearts. There is a certain satisfaction that comes to some people to create the idea that “things are only going to get worse”. Perhaps this is why Paul concluded his letter to the new believers in Rome with a blessing about hope. As he wrote his prayer for them, he reminded them (and us) that God is always “the God of hope”. Hope is part of God’s character. To bring us hope, not only in this life but for eternity, was the reason that God sent His Son, Jesus. To fill us with all joy and peace as we wait for His return is why we have the Holy Spirit. He is the one who has promised to fill us with a generous amount of hope.
How would life be better for you if you really believed that God has promised to give you the constant and unchangeable gift of HOPE – the confident expectation that He will provide everything you need in this life and that He is preparing a place for you so that you can be with Him for all eternity? Are those two things enough to keep you from becoming like Chicken Little?
