If you have ever been to the Grand Canyon, you have witnessed its majestic grandeur and gazed down the cavernous openings that dive deep into the arms of a golden-brown net.
It’s an awesome wonder to be sure, but where is the connection with hopelessness?
The answer to that question traces back to the early stages of my journey into God’s wonderland, many years ago now, when the chasm between my negative thoughts and God’s peace looked impossible to close. It made me sad a lot; hopeless at times; and frustrated always.
I might as well have been perched on one side of that Grand Canyon searching unsuccessfully for a ticket to fly across into God’s soft clutch waiting on the other end. That is how far from him I felt. How undeserving I felt. And how hopeless it all seemed.
I can see now that merely having those negative thoughts run through my mind’s cinema was not the real problem and not the real threat.
The danger started to lurk when I allowed extreme negativity to become a muck-encrusted barnacle clinging tightly to my life’s hull. That is when I had unwittingly created a perfect storm that pelted me with throbbing hopelessness.
It was not apparent at the time, but I had clearly insulted God by squeezing my negativity like a child grasps a bear named Teddy. Worse than that, I was ignoring his enduring message of hope and love.
That life lesson ignited my walk with Christ and taught me that following our relationship with him is never about how distant he seems, and always about his promise that no gap is too big for him to bridge.
I ask God to remind me that there should never be a gap between me and him. And to give me the confidence to believe that promise by knowing him intimately.
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
What is the gap between you and God?
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9
