The hope set before me

As my feet pounded the pavement with the sun beaming down on a hot January morning and sweat pouring down my forehead, I wondered if I could push through to the end. My goal, set before I headed off, was to run 5km in under 30 minutes. This goal - that I set for myself in the comfort of my own house in the cool of the bathroom as I dressed in my running gear - was before I experienced the heat of the morning.

I opened the door and it hit me. It was already 27 degrees at 7am in the morning. We were experiencing one of the several heatwaves our beautiful climate brings us each Summer. And after running for about 15min, my body was depleting in energy.

Furthermore, I realised I was suffering the consequences of a late night in getting to sleep. The exhaustion my body hid from me when I awoke to my normal alarm was now painfully screaming at me as I rounded up my third kilometre.

Could I go on? Could I push through to finish the 5km or should I just stop now? Or maybe I could just walk it. It wouldn’t be as satisfying as finishing the goal set before me but maybe that was ok.

Then I remembered….Hupomone.

A funny word to be popping into my head as I am running but a word that brings encouragement.

You see, Hupomone (hoop-oh-moan-ay) is the greek translation of perseverance. It is referenced in the bible when scripture encourages us to persevere in trials and sufferings. It is defined as “steadfastness, constancy, endurance,” and it is inspired by hope.

It is “the characteristic of a man who is not swerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trials and sufferings”.

Hupomone is enduring and persevering in our purpose because of the hope set before us. It is pushing through and remaining steadfast in the trials and sufferings.

“For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.” Hebrews 10:36

Hupomone is what enables us to see the hope set before us of the promises of God and seeing Jesus face to face and to persevere to the end to receive what is promised to us.

Hupomone is a characteristic that comes from Christ. The Lord directs our hearts into his love and into the steadfastness of Christ (2 Thess 3:5).

The steadfastness of Christ….

He who was not swerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to God by even the greatest trials and sufferings.

Oh to have our hearts directed to the steadfastness of this amazing Saviour. To have such love and loyalty to our Father God that we are not moved in trials and sufferings as we keep the hope of seeing him at the finish line greeting us with arms open wide.

If we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it. (Romans 8:25)

And as I pushed through the final 2km of my run that morning, and reached my goal line at 28 minutes, I could see it. A tiny glimpse of the joy, the excitement , the glory of reaching the finish line of the end of my life having been loyal and steadfast to my God and seeing my Saviour face to face.

I only saw a tiny glimpse – but it is enough to give me the hope I need for the race set before me.

A Bigger Dream

Have you ever felt so lost within yourself that you don’t know who you are supposed to be anymore?

Maybe your soul is saddened because you can’t see any hope of your dreams becoming a reality?

Maybe you have dreams that you have hidden deep within your spirit so quietly kept inside you that you have never dared share them with anyone. Maybe they are dreams that you were so sure that God had given you that even though you have been patiently waiting for him to work his purpose out in you, the light at the end of the tunnel seems to have dimmed to blackness and you see no hope anymore of them coming true.  

Have you ever questioned God about your dreams and why they are not coming true?

Have you felt that maybe your dreams for yourself are bigger than what God has dreamed for you?

Job was living the dream. He was known throughout the land for his wealth and his greatness. He had sons, daughters, servants, land, and livestock. Then one day, it all came crashing down and he lost it all. Not only did he lose it all but he gained diseases, friends questioned him, and he experienced extreme loneliness amidst it all.

Job might have lost his children, his wealth, his dignity – but he didn’t lose his motivation and inspiration. How?

We discover in Job 23 that when Job could not see God or find God, he held on to the promise that God knows the way that he should take and that he will come forth as gold. He knew God had not lost him and had Hope that he would come forth as gold.

Job’s life and dreams were shattered beyond what any of us could imagine – yet he had HOPE.

What is our HOPE?

Romans 8:29 reminds us that we are being conformed to the image of his Son – through our trials we are going to come forth as gold, with the Son of God reflected through us. How are we being transformed into his likeness – by ever-increasing glory which comes from the Lord who is the Spirit (2 Cor 3:18).

Job’s ultimate hope gives us inspiration for a bigger dream. Job’s hope is revealed in Job 19 –

“I know that my redeemer lives,

and that in the end he will stand on the earth.

 And after my skin has been destroyed,

yet in my flesh I will see God;

 I myself will see him with my own eyes – I, not another.

How my heart yearns within me!”

Job’s earthly possessions and dreams for his earthly life did not compare to his ultimate dream of standing before God in all his glory and see him face to face.

This is our bigger dream!

Fixing our eyes on Jesus to run with perseverance the race set out before us means fixing our eyes on the heavenly dream and hope that we will one day see our Redeemer face to face. It might mean that some of the earthly dreams we have been holding on to must fall away, but in the end – this is the ultimate dream and hope for us to hold on to.

When you feel lost, sad or unsure if you will ever see any of your dreams come true, hold on to the motivation and inspiration of the hope of the promise that when you have done the will of God, when you have lived the faithful life and when you have done nothing else but stand firm in your faith – you will have the reward of the promise of God (Hebrews 10:35).

And one day you will stand before God in all his glory and see him face to face, having come forth as gold reflecting the image of the Son of God.

Now that’s a bigger dream!