Hope:

     A couple of weeks ago, one of my daughters was soliciting her siblings and me for Southwest Airline points, so that she could take a trip to Texas. It was going to be a really fun get-a-way for her and her husband. All of the other expenses had been covered. The only thing needed was airfare. Now what makes this a little ironic, is that I live in Oklahoma, about a three hour drive away from where she planned to be, but there was no way that my husband and I were going to drive down there and interrupt her get-a-way. Not to mention, we hate road trips, when we have to drive.

     As I gave up our points, I teasingly said something on this order: “Here I am giving you my flight points, for you to go and visit someone else, in a state so close to me, and I’ll not get the chance to see you guys. That’s a drag!”

   She in turn, laughing replied, “I’m sorry but you’re right; you won’t be seeing me on this trip. We’re flying in and turning around two days later and flying out. Someone else will be chauffeuring us around.”

        I was terribly disappointed that she would be so near, and yet so far from my glance. But I knew that what she said was correct, therefore, I was reluctantly content to settle for the lovely pictures that she always sends us, whenever she travels; and she travels a lot.

        The weeks quickly passed by; she texted her siblings and me, in a group text when they boarded the flight out and again, when she arrived. She sent us a funny picture of her in a Chicago Bear mascot suit and again of her and her husband at the football game. She seemed to be having fun with her friends and I was happy for her. However, I knew that I would not see her in person, nor would I know the joy of her embrace, while being in the neighboring state.

        Therefore, you can only imagine the surprise when I received the following texts; approximately four minutes apart, the day before she was to head back home. I mistakenly thought that it was another of her group texts, but it was not. It was to me only.

        “Hey lady, how are you doing today? If we could come to see you tonight could you take us to the airport tomorrow? Oh and can we come tonight?”

          "Surely, she has mistakenly texted me." I thought.

        Now when it came in, I didn’t immediately see it. When the second text arrived, I had managed to get to my phone so that I could read it. At first glance, it appeared to have been a group text to her siblings and me, which we send out to each other almost daily. Therefore, I quickly glanced at the first text and my eyes then rested upon the second one.

          "Never mind"

      “Humm”, I thought. “She’s obviously gotten us mixed up with someone else that she is there visiting. She couldn’t be talking to me. How was I supposed to take her to the airport in Texas?” Then with the “Never mind”, I sighed and assumed that she had come to the same realization as I, that she had obviously texted the wrong person. For I had no hopes of seeing her at all; how could I take this text seriously?

         I shared the texts with John and the two of us made a joke out of our driving to Texas to take her to the airport. Then we dismissed the idea altogether.

        The next day, I received two more texts from her, “Just landed”; then “Home safely, PTL”

        I responded with a “Hallelujah!”

       A few hours later, I get a telephone call from her. I get excited because I know that she’s going to tell me all about how great her trip was. However, it was not that at all. She was calling to let me know how disappointed she had been that I had not answered her texts. A friend, who had gathered with them, had offered to drive her and her husband to see me. He only lived about 90 miles from my town. However, because I had not taken her texts seriously, because I had NO HOPE of seeing her, she did not accept the ride in a timely manner, she spent the night in Texas and just went home the next day.

    I was devastated when she told me. I wanted to scream and cry and curse myself, for having resigned myself to believing that seeing her during this trip was not a possibility; I had no HOPE that I might be able to do so. UGH!

    Therefore, my life lesson is this. Never give up on God’s ability to make things happen. I’ve decided to memorize the following Scriptures, as a result of this incident.

The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy. Psalm 147:11 KJV

Why art thou cast down, O my soul? And why art thou disquieted within me? Hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.  Psalm 43:5 KJV

Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy; Psalms 33:18

     Therefore, never give up hope in God, people. I looked at the situation strictly from a human perspective, not from a God perspective and I was greatly, greatly disappointed in myself. When you give up HOPE, period, you could miss out on something wonderful. I know that I did. Boo-hoo! 

More: Lessons About God