When hope is the answer

Let me take a moment to tell you about what looks to be a crazy year. My husband’s running for a local political office, my daughter’s going on a missions trip, getting her driver’s license and transitioning from homeschool to public school to complete her junior and senior years. My son’s in the sixth grade. (Unless you’ve had a boy child in the sixth grade this probably means nothing, but if you have please give me a virtual pat on the shoulder and remind me that this too shall pass. Because sometimes I forget.) My husband and I have launched a side hustle business that we hope may one day become our primary source of income.

We’ve flung a whole bunch of possibility out into an ocean of uncertainty. When I fill in all the “extra” things that we’re taking on in 2016, it looks like one giant, impossible dare. “Hey, God. It’s me, Maria. Here’s what I need to happen this year. So … um … I’m gonna need your help, okay?”

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Pinterest
• Google+

I’m a military brat through and through. I know the whole “Keep Calm and Carry On” was a British propaganda slogan, but truly, it’s the way of military life. You carry on. You do what needs to be done. I never really thought about how much this has colored my way of thinking and operating in life until a friend of mine pointed it out. But it’s true.

Sure, I procrastinate or hem and haw before I do what I need to do sometimes, but mostly, I’m not a girl to question why I have to do something, so much as how. This year I’m wondering how will I manage all of the possibility I’ve flung out there? What if not a single thing goes well? What if we fail in every possible way in 2016? Or what if every single hope is deferred and our answers are “wait.”

I’ve chosen a word or theme every year for several years now. The way those words unfolded in my life, often at the very last second before a new year started, has been totally a God thing in my life. This year I thought that word was going to be “Daring.” As I researched it for my collaborative blog’s theme for January I was drawn to what a daring life really is. It resonated so true and strong in my life.

But as I stopped and thought about it, I think it was because I’ve already done all the big daring things. They’ve been put into play. Now all the legwork is going to have to happen. And as I put the actions behind those dares, I realized that it was really going to be hope that would fuel it all for me this year.

I didn’t like the idea of hope because it implied that I was not the one in charge of the outcome. Daring says I work, I push through, I put in the hard work and then I either succeed or I fail. Hope says I put all the things in play and then have to step back and let others…or even better…God handle the outcome.

Hope says it’s about my attitude more than my actions. And that sounds far more intimidating to me than a daring life. Daring sounds exciting. Hoping, not so much.

As I look at all of my little “dare to’s” bobbing around in uncertainties, I’m choosing to hope that no matter what the outcomes, I am held by God’s love through all of it. Keep calm and carry on…with Hope.