Hope Breaks Through

It was a grey day, typical for Upstate New York in January. The lack of sunshine and the winter wind was fitting for the mood I found myself in. Feelings of loneliness and isolation had been creeping in for quite a while. As I walked, I let myself dwell on all that I was missing because of the pandemic, and my mood took on the same grey of the skies. When will this ever end? I thought.

It was then that I saw it. A splash of color standing out against the greys and browns of my surroundings. My pace quickened while I kept my eyes focused on the reds and yellows ahead, as if the colors might disappear before I got there. Upon reaching the spot, I found a large rock where some small artist had left their mark. The artist’s rock canvas displayed a painting of a beautiful rainbow. The message written beneath it read, “In this together.”

It’s funny how such a simple painting and message supplied just the encouragement I needed. Someone was thinking of the people in their neighborhood and doing what they could to encourage and cheer them. As I continued on my walk, I saw other messages written in chalk on driveways. One said, “We miss you friends.” Another, “See you soon!” These simple messages showed me that people cared. Though the skies were still grey, just then rays of sunshine began breaking through the clouds. To me, they were rays of hope.

That’s how the early Christians must have felt when they received a letter from one of the apostles. They wrote the letters to the churches for a purpose. They are like messages written or drawn on driveways and rocks along a trail. Heartfelt messages written to those you can’t be with. They are letters of encouragement, reminding the churches that someone is thinking about them and praying for them. Some come with promises of a visit in the future, and all come with love for their brothers and sisters in Christ.

Today, we still have those letters, contained in the Bible for us to read. From them we draw encouragement, strength, and hope as we strive to live for Christ in today’s world. They remind us we are not alone and what we go through has been experienced by countless others before us. They teach us how to live like Christ and encourage us to reach out to others in His name. These letters, along with the rest of the Bible, give us a solid foundation, tethering us to the rock of Christ—the one true rock who extends a message of grace, mercy, love and unending hope. We truly are not alone. One day the grey skies of this life will clear, and we’ll live in the light forever. Until then, let’s keep reading His letters and sharing His message of love.