The medicine of hope

Recently I read; “There is no medicine like hope.  The expectation that tomorrow will be better than today.”  I see that played out here in The Village among our residents as they move into those final days upon this earth.  Jesus told us “Don’t let your hearts be troubled.  Trust in God, and trust also in me.  There is more than enough room in my Father’s home.  If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?  When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.  And you know the way to where I am going.”  (John 14:1-4 NLT)

This past Saturday I attended a memorial service for Carol’s 92 year-old uncle in Orlando.  This Saturday I will be attending a service for a considerably younger friend who served in Charlotte for several years and moved here a couple of years ago.  Both of these men were “going strong” until just a few days prior to their deaths.  We never know when we will take that final breath, but these times certainly remind us of the importance of being prepared when the Lord comes to get us, and what a tremendous blessing it is to possess that hope and the complete peace that comes with it, as we wrap up this life.

I can’t believe how busy I continue to be just getting settled in.  Today I spent nearly four hours on the phone (and on hold) getting mailing addresses changed for a batch of mail that was forwarded here.  I have also been blessed to have visitors stop in, giving me welcome breaks in this settling in business.  Carol’s sister and her husband came in from The Bahamas early this week and I anticipate the arrival of friends tomorrow from Charlotte. 

Like several locations in the country, we are having excessive rain.  There is hardly a day that passes without a heavy thunder shower which has caused our lake to rise to a level above which most residents have ever seen.  Occasionally someone will suggest that I had better be ready to lay sandbags to keep water from coming into my house.  That is quite unlikely, but the high water is bringing lots of shore birds close by which is most interesting.

Thanks for your encouraging calls and emails.  May we all be filled with hope anticipating that day when Jesus will come for us.

Chuck