Hope for New Beginnings

I woke up that morning in a brand new home, in a new state. I rolled over and looked next to me. There was my tiny 2-month-old infant. My second baby. I sat up slowly and looked around. Boxes were everywhere. There was no couch in the living room and no wifi to connect to the outside world.

The only thing that was organized and put together was our bookshelf. I poured my coffee and sat down on a folding chair at the table my husband had built at our home that we had left only a week ago. And I wanted to cry.

We had just made a huge change! We had packed up all of our belongings, sold our house, and moved across the country from Colorado to Washington for a new change. My husband had a promising new job, one that would give him a better schedule, better benefits, and a better, non-toxic working environment.

There was so much newness here, and a promise of good things to come, but my heart ached for what we had left behind. Friends, community, the mountains. The comfort of a place I had lived my whole life.

There was nothing I could do at that moment, except pray.

Have you ever felt like you should be hopeful? Like there is something coming that should give you hope, a new chance, a new beginning, an opportunity to start afresh… but all you feel is the pain of what’s been left behind?

I often wonder what it must have been like for the biblical character of Ruth, when she left everything she ever knew behind her. She followed her mother-in-law to a new place, new chances, new opportunities. But did she grieve? Did she miss her home, her friends, her family? Her husband who had died?

And yet, despite all of that, Ruth’s story is one of hope.

In this new place, she found so much. First, a job that provided for her and Naomi. Then a husband, a family, a home, a baby. Her legacy is one that led to King David, and eventually Jesus.

We aren’t told very much about what Ruth was thinking during this time. But I imagine she must have had some hope.

Hope doesn’t look flashy or beautiful. It’s not something you can simply post about on Instagram, with a filter to make it shiny, especially when it is a hope for something that hasn’t happened yet.

Sometimes hope looks like tears, praying that God will make something new. Trusting in His promises, regardless of your current circumstances.

I wish I could hold out my hand to you, wherever you are, and promise that this hope you feel will unfold the way you wish it would. But it might not.

The move we made ended with me losing friends, feeling depressed, sad, and lonelier than I have ever been. We didn’t find exactly what we were looking for when we moved here. Instead we found a season of growth, a season of testing. But it was worth it. I have come out of the other side as a stronger, better version of myself. And I learned things that I never would have learned had we not moved.

When you find yourself hoping in new beginnings, remember to place your hope in something that is lasting beyond your circumstances or situation.

Hope continues and endures when we are hoping for something worthwhile!

Scripture for Meditation:

“There’s more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we’re never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary - we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!”

- Romans 5:3-5 (MSG)

Prompts for journaling or discussion:

1. Are you at a new beginning? What does it look like?

2. What are your hopes for this season?

3. What does hope look like for you right now?

4. How can you continue to hold on hope for new beginnings, even in hard times?

5. How have you seen God meet your hope in the past?