Wednesday Wonderisms #09
Endodontic Excavation & Hoping Your Way to Wholeness
Going through some of the worst pain I’ve ever felt (toothache) is definitely teaching me some unwelcome lessons.
First: why do all of the delicious foods require optimal mouth-opening capacity? Send help.
Second:
Many of us so often cope our way to crisis. Whether it’s waiting for your fuel tank to burn out on empty, wallowing in regret or disappointment, or regretting not getting your worn-down back molars checked sooner (obviously not guilty there). Languishing becomes a seemingly necessary pastime to drudge through, all the while wishing there was some magical exit ramp to normalcy. “Any day now…” is the tiresome despair of the masses.
A quote from playwright Tennessee Williams captures the tragic outlook of most: “We all live in a house on fire, no fire department to call; no way out, just the upstairs window to look out of while the fire burns the house down with us trapped, locked in it.”1 What a hopeless perspective.
Humans tend to wade through bogs of heaviness and dejection, circling until they lose sense of up, down, or the way back to themselves.
Alternatively, an opportunity presents itself for us to hope our way to wholeness in Christ.
The prophet Isaiah declared:
“To grant those who mourn in Zion,
Giving them a garland instead of ashes,
The oil of gladness instead of mourning,
The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting.
So they will be called oaks of righteousness,
The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”
— Isaiah 61:3
Similarly, apprentices to Jesus are encouraged with this dynamic and challenging benediction by Paul the Apostle in his letter to the believers in Rome:
“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
— Romans 15:13
Catch that? Abound.
Overflowing. Plentiful. More than enough.
Thing is, none of this is passive. Hope is an action; a very deliberate one borne of conviction. History will find the hopeful not as ethereal, pie-in-the-sky dreamers, but steely, spiritually aware and consistently faithful lovers of God with durable souls dipped in the Water of Life. And that takes practice — action.
Do you just wish for your lost brother to come to Jesus?
Do you starve for deliverance from temptations that never end?
Do you grumble and complain to God about not having a better job? A better prayer life? Physical health?
Do you wait until somebody dies for your family to experience reconciliation and healing?
…or will you do something about it?
Friend, you don’t have to get to the point of existential crisis to try to experience profound hope. It is available. It is a gift. It is Jesus. Who could be a better Teacher to tutor us in the grand art of expecting God’s goodness, truth and beauty to make themselves manifest in our midst?
In his wonderfully polemic and incendiary book Heretics, G.K. Chesterton chimes in for us: “Hope means hoping when things are hopeless, or it is no virtue at all.”2 This kind of hope is innate, practiced; developed over time. We become people of hope because we are people of God. Root canals and fender benders shouldn’t be the things that drive us to desperately attempt hope for the first time.
In what ways are you merely coping towards crisis today? Wherever the pain hammers for you, you can place your hope in Christ in an intentional way.
Put on the mantle of praise. Stop complaining and start worshiping God. Not so that He’ll bless or heal you; that’s witchcraft and manipulation. We love the Giver regardless of the gifts He gives us. Praise begins to eat away at the heaviness. Try it out while listening to your favorite worship songs and thanking God out loud for specific things He’s done in the past.
Take a pragmatic step to enact your trust. If you want Jesus to move in your situation, know this; He often is the One waiting on you. When you look for His hand to move in your situation, ask yourself: “what is Jesus asking me to do in this circumstance?” Co-labor with God through scheduled prayer; make the phone call; fill out the paperwork; do the daring thing. Like Kierkegaard once mused “Without risk, faith is an impossibility.”
Be attuned to Jesus. Stay near Him; learn the unique cadence of His voice. Very likely, He is looking to speak to you while in your most uncomfortable state. Don’t mis those moments for anything. He longs to display his overwhelming power and faithfulness to you if you are willing to be laser-focused on His voice above the screaming sirens of demonic doubt and despair.
You can be a sturdy oak of righteousness.
You can abound in hope.
Know this: God wants to fill you with hope today.
Even if you have a toothache. (I hope you don’t, though.)
I leave you with 2 things to help you meditate and reflect on hope today:
A psalm to pray and meditate on;
A song to worship to.
SCRIPTURE
“Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him For the help of His presence.”
— Psalms 42:5
SONG
[Wednesday Wonderisms is a short devotional reflection I’ll be sharing each midweek morning. Whether it’s sparked by a Scripture, a conversation with a friend, personal musings while raising my three kids or thoughts on the state of the Church, the goal is to encourage you to become an even more ardent worshiper of King Jesus. Hit the link below to share it with a friend.]
Tennessee Williams (1971). “The Theatre of Tennessee Williams: The milk train doesn't stop here anymore. Kingdom of Earth (The seven descents of Myrtle). Small craft warnings. The two-character play”, p.107, New Directions Publishing
Chesterton, G.K. (1905) Heretics, chap. XII, “Paganism and Mr. Lowes Dickinson”, 1st ed. p. 158.
"Coping our way to crisis" is pretty darn descriptive 👍