Unwavering Hope
“For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from Him. He only is my rock and salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God. Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us.”
Psalm 62:5-8
I took this passage of Scripture and put it on 3 canvas’ that are currently hanging above our daughter’s changing table. They are perfectly placed for my line of sight whether standing at said table or sitting in the rocking chair next to her crib. Though I pray this is one of many passages she, herself, takes to heart, the Scripture is there, primarily for Scott and I.
By the time you find yourself reading this, Baby Hopkins will (hopefully) have made her way into the world. But at the time of writing this, she is still safe and sound in the womb, getting bigger and bigger every day. Scott and I have taken the classes, we’ve read the books, we’ve spoken with other couples who have made it through and we’ve basically come to the conclusion that we have absolutely no clue what tomorrow holds, let alone what to expect when this little girl arrives.
Praise God, we can place our hope in the one who does!
Hope has been on the forefront of my mind for some time now. I’ve come to realize that I’ve placed my hope in so many temporary things before – money, career, friendships, myself. But none of those things can withstand the weight of my hope. They all fall short. Money is fleeting, a career is no place for an identity, friendships can fail and putting our hope in ourselves? Goodness gracious, who thought that was a good idea?
But, God? He is strong enough to hope fully in. He will never fail. He will never change. He will never be surprised by emergencies, changing circumstances or tragedies. He is a refuge for us and we can trust Him at ALL times.
So what do I expect the first phase of parenthood to be like? Sleepless nights, all manner of bodily functions that we’ll be responsible for cleaning up, confusion, uncertainty, snuggles, smiles and at some point, a level of delirium I pray no one gets on tape. But most of all, I expect the only safe place for my hope to rest secure is in the God of the universe. So I’m adding the verses above and others like them to my arsenal – weapons to pull out whenever the time requires it – at 2am on February 5th changing diaper #547 and 20 years from now when life will look far different than I even dare to imagine. Because no matter the stage of life, no matter the circumstances surrounding us, our God will always be a refuge for us and is faithful to be our only hope.
