Today’s post is the second of a three part series brought to you by TheReddingProject’s first guest blogger Luke T. Jones. We ended Practicing Hope 1 asking the question how to sustain hope. The answer to this question will be revealed but first Luke shares about an unlikely mentor that aids in the revelation
The answer came with the flu. Not that God gave me the flu, but something that happened while I had the flu, which probably wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t been down for the weekend with nothing to do other than watch 90’s Disney sports films. As I went for the last lap of my movie fix, I came upon Angels in the Outfield, a classic childhood favorite about an orphan boy named Roger (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), who is suddenly able to see angels after asking God to help the local pro baseball team win the league championship. However, it wasn’t the star of the film that God highlighted to me, but rather Roger’s sidekick, fellow foster child, JP, a much younger boy and one filled with radical hope!
From the opening scene to the close, JP’s life exuded extreme expectancy that good things could happen and at any time. Unlike Roger, JP could not see angels, though he lived in constant expectation and hope that he would. JP even wore binoculars and whenever Roger said an angel was present, JP would look through the binoculars in an attempt to see it. Despite constant disappointment, JP kept hopeful that one day he too would see angels just like Roger. Not only that, but JP would constantly remind himself over and over again that, “it could happen!”
And that’s when I heard God, “Luke, welcome to your new mentor. JP!”
I was totally blown away. Something clicked in my spirit and I knew that this was a text book example of a life full of extreme hope. JP kept his hopes high and his expectancy ablaze regardless of what he didn’t see happening around him. This movie was revelatory – a Disney movie! Well, over the next couple of days the Lord began revealing strategies and tools on how to cultivate and sustain a life of radical hope. Hope like my new mentor JP. As I began to implement these tools, things changed rapidly. What the Lord began to show me is that hope is not something we feel as a result of good things happening around us, but rather something that can be practiced and intentionally implemented in our daily lives, resulting in the construction of an atmosphere where peace and joy reign supreme.
Stay tuned for next week as Luke shares the practical ways to practice hope! Til next time!
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