The Possibilities of Hope and Faith

road trip ~ where in the world is Tor?

I am passionately in love with the desert. Not all deserts. The stretch on I-10 from Phoenix west to Arizona's border with California is just plain ugly to me. I'm more of a fan of deserts like Joshua Tree, Death Valley and areas of eastern Oregon.

I came to this new-found love of the desert since moving to California. Having spent most of my life enjoying forest-covered mountains, I have always wondered why the desert appealed to me. The mountains are lush. The mountains are big and bold. The mountains are about "now." Certainly, there are vistas to be seen but a typical hike or drive is really about what is right in front of my face. The trees withhold the horizon and the ground beneath my feet requires scrutiny for careful stepping. I need to be in the present to navigate the mountains.

If the mountains are about the "now, then the desert is about "possibilities." I love the possibilities of the desert ~ the wide open vistas, the never-ending night sky, the life that sprouts with the presence of water. It's that tenacity of life that I think I love the most. In a landscape that looks uninviting and even hostile, drops of water offer the hope of life.

Maybe that's what takes hold of my soul ~ hope. I don't know how people live without hope ~ not a wish or a dream but a hope that is solidly grounded in faith.

The Lord is good to those whose hope is in Him, to the one who seeks Him...Hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts...Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will live in hope... May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him (Lamentations 3:25, Romans 5:5, Acts 2:26, Romans 15:3)

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see...Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ... For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith ~ and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God (Hebrews 11:1, Romans 10:17, Ephesians 2:8)