A Year of Hope
This has been a strange year for me. (I know what you’re thinking: “Ummm, yeah… strange is a major understatement.”) But I say strange because on top of a global pandemic, racial injustice, social unrest, political upheaval (and every other buzz word you’ve heard a million times this year), God said yes to the deepest desire of my heart.
On January 12th, 2020–after 70 months of praying and hoping and waiting to become a mother–I got the call that changed everything. “There’s a birth mother who has picked you and Jake. And she’s having a boy. And she’s in Texas. And she’s in labor right now.” Safe to say, 2020 got off to a real strong start for my husband, Jake, and me.
So I say this year has been strange because if you ask most people (and all memes), the consensus is, “2020 is the worst!” But for me, 2020 has been so far from the worst. It’s not that I’m blind to everything happening outside of my own home; I see and feel the suffering and the heartache and the sickness and the hatred. But I see it, and it gives me hope... Hope, because I know that God leads us to fullness of joy and complete healing only through the messy, painful work of exposing and revealing.
More than he answered our prayers for a child, God healed our hearts over those 70 months. He revealed the sickness that had taken over: our sin, our pride, and the lies we had believed about him and ourselves. And only when it was revealed could the infection be removed. And only once it was removed could we start healing.
“...there is no doubt 2020 has revealed a lot about our world and ourselves. But our sweet and sovereign God never does anything without love. He can’t; he IS love. ”
We will never understand his methods or his pace, but we can trust his heart. God’s heart is for us. He wants nothing less for us than healing of all sickness, restoration from all brokenness, righting of every wrong, redemption of all that was lost. That is God’s ultimate end, and that’s what he is always moving every story toward. And it all starts with Jesus.
Kiddos in Base Camp jokingly say, “Jesus is always the answer!” But they’re not wrong. Maybe a more accurate way to say it is, “every answer can be found in Jesus.” In Jesus, we see the unexpected: a baby instead of a warrior king. In Jesus, we see God meeting us where we are: coming into this world as we did; experiencing life as we do. In Jesus, we see God with us: from the very beginning to the very end to the new beginning. In Jesus, we see God proving his love has no limits: sacrificing himself, his own son, so that we can be restored, redeemed, healed.
Healing starts with revealing. And there is no doubt 2020 has revealed a lot about our world and ourselves. But our sweet and sovereign God never does anything without love. He can’t; he IS love. He never reveals to make us feel bad; he always reveals so that he can remove what’s keeping us from the life Jesus came to give us. And he heals with his love and his presence. He replaces every lie with truth. And while we are still on this earth, he will repeat this process over and over and over again for each of us. I wish I could say those 70 months were all the revealing my heart will ever need. And I wish I could say the same for 2020. But know that these times of revealing, removing, and healing here on earth are preparing us for the day we will forever get to be with the one who came to be with us.
The processes of revealing and removal are not fun or easy. And it’s ok to say they’re the worst. But my encouragement is to let your heart feel hope for the healing that is to come.
Asha lives in Pensacola, Florida, with her husband, Jake, their son, JP, and dog, Maxwell. They love playing outside together and discovering new cuisine. Asha was a member of the Summit staff for three years and continues to be part of the children’s ministry team in spirit. You can find her at ashajuneoh.com.