New Hope

“Nevertheless God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus” (2 Corinthians 7:6)

In the immediate context of our Scripture for today, Paul reported on events that occurred when he and his companions arrived in the Roman Province of Macedonia, in northern Greece.  From a human perspective, events were very upsetting, or as Paul told it in verse 5, “our flesh had no rest.” They were “troubled on every side,” he said, lamenting that “outside were conflicts, inside were fears.”  Paul became afraid and depressed just like many today, and it was the same with his friends.  Then his friend Titus arrived, and Paul was comforted by him.

A few days ago, my wife Genevieve and I were busy at my Mother’s home.  Mom is unable to be there because she is in a skilled nursing facility, but that is her home and we hope to be able to make it as lovely as possible for her.  I was working on a pile of boxes on the patio and Genevieve was in the house.  I stuck my arm between the boxes, trying to determine what was there, and then looked through the opening my arm had made.  A pair of large black eyes looked back at me!

It was a creature larger than a house cat, with light grey fur and what seemed to be very long, sharp teeth.  It was panting and looking at me with great interest.  I must have made some sort of noise because Genevieve called out, “What’s wrong?” 

I stumbled into the house and once she had determined there was no physical injury, she began to ask questions.  I could not immediately respond, but then did, telling her about the “creature” on the patio.  Finally, at her urging, I called Animal Control, and the lady said, “It’s a ‘possum” (an opossum), continuing, “There’s nothing we can do about it because ‘possums are protected.”  I was not comforted by that information.  Genevieve did comfort me, but the creature is probably still there, as people’s troubles tend to be.

The other night we attended the annual event of an organization and people we have come to love: New Hope Grief Support Community, a group that reaches out to those who have suffered great loss, comforting them with the comfort they have received in similar distress (2 Corinthians 2:4).

The evening consisted of a dinner, prayer and entertainment.  The latter was provided by the Poly High Jazz band, and the kids did a great job.  This was a fundraiser, with the intention that New Hope, a non-profit ministry, will have funding for next year.

The event was in a sort of patio area outside Grace Brethren Church in North Long Beach, California, and we ate at tables set up for that purpose.  Most of the attendees were focusing on dinner, and we ate the “beef tips” prepared by Rick Beeney, husband of Sue Beeney, Director of New Hope.  Another gentleman assisted Rick with dinner.  We were encouraged to listen to the occasional speakers and the wonderful music.

I listened, but my attention was also drawn to a group of children playing next to the outer decorative block wall of Grace Brethren.  They were of varying ages and their “toys” were simple: They had a wagon, a block wall, and they had each other.

For a long time, they simply jumped-up onto one of the varying elevations of the wall, raced with the greatest of ease along the wall and then jumped-off when they felt like it.  Very simple, but they climbed, ran and jumped with intensity.  They were having a good time.  Another activity was riding in the metal wagon.  This was a wagon with a handle on the front allowing it to be pulled, and it had removable red wooden sides enabling it to be enclosed or open.  I had one of those wagons when I was a boy.

Three or four of them would get into the wagon and one would pull it forward.  This went on for some time and they would change places.  A rider would become the one who pulled and occasionally on an incline, someone would push.  They had fun.

It occurred to me that a lot of our activities are like that.  We take jobs and go to work every day.  We are dedicated and intent in what we do.  We like to play, devising activities we do as often as we can.  People involve themselves in repetitious behavior, mostly not all that different from playing with wagons and block walls.

Children were brought to Jesus so that He might pray for them, and His disciples tried to stop them (Matthew 19:13).  But Jesus said, “Let the little children come unto Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God” (Matthew 19:14).  God has great love for children, and we should ponder Jesus’ observation that there is something special about little ones.  And note it is often lost by those who think they have become “adults.”

The children at the New Hope event were kind and deferential to one another.  That’s no longer typical of some children, but these were kind, and that is the way they are supposed to be.  Children are capable of great faith.  If you tell them something, they are likely to believe you, unlike most adults.  The children seemed to range in age from about two up to approximately ten or eleven.  I noticed that the youngest child was sometimes tenderly comforted by the older ones, not unlike the manner in which Paul was comforted by Titus (2 Corinthians 7:6).  We need to become more like children and be willing to comfort one another in the power and love of God (2 Corinthians 1:4).

There are “possums” living in your life and mine.  Trouble comes to everyone on this planet and a key to joy is to open the lock on our hearts and know the comfort of one another.  We only live a little while, whereas to the Lord, a “thousand years is like a day” (2 Peter 3:8).  We think we grow up in the few years or decades we live, but the reality is that we are always those little children, in need of the Lord and each other.

Help us, Lord.  Send a “Titus” into our lives that we may be comforted.  Let us learn from this experience, that we will begin to comfort one another, with the comfort we ourselves receive.  Let us understand that we are really children, in need of one another and in desperate need of the Lord.  Give us new hope as we entrust ourselves to you.  Thank You.  In Jesus Name.  Amen.