Where Does My H(ope) Come From?

Does it come from the mountains? noooo... it comes from You! The Maker of Heaven! The Creator of the Earth!

I don't do a lot of Jesus-ing in my day-to-day. No morning devotions before the kids are up, nor bible verses over breakfast. I am loathe to fast, and chincy about giving. And despite my not-so-secret fondness for Micheal W. Smith praise hits, we hardly ever worship together in the singing kind of way. There was a time in my spiritual life when I would have considered this a sign that my soul was adrift and would have believed that The Lord Was Not Pleased.

Happily for me, that time has passed and I hardly ever worry about these things. I have decided to believe that Jesus thinks I'm awesome and the parts that are less lovely, He's down with and has plans for. And so I keep on in my undisciplined ways, (fairly) certain in my faith (yes, I see the contradiction there) that All Will Be Well regardless.

This said, one discipline I'm rather accomplished at is the Pray Without Ceasing bit. Or maybe I've just relabeled my anxious thoughts and called them prayer.  But whatever.  The point is, when things trouble me, I just assume that the terrible thoughts that rise up are actually my heart reminding Jesus to Do Something! For Christ's Sake! Do Something!

Today I heard two friends' heavy-heartedness and one of them is the kind of friend I can just pray for right there on the phone. The other, not so much, but still, as I'm listening, I feel myself redirecting all the angst heavenward on their behalf.  Because what else can be done? I am useless, most of the time.  But the Creator of Heaven! The Maker of the Earth! that One is listening and has promised to be our Hope and our Help.

This still stops me in my tracks.

And we get to celebrate it all month! Oh, I just love Christmas.