Just Hoping

Suzie Mango does not give up hope.  Every time we are eating or even standing up to go to the kitchen, she will always be one step behind us. She will always sit or lay down in front of us, hoping that she will just get a little bit of food. 
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What is funny is that she received food once on the 4th of July.  She got a hotdog and then proceeded to have diarrhea for the next 24 hours.  SO ever since that, we never give her any food.  But even prior to receiving food, she would often follow and sit in front of us whenever we were eating.  In hopes to get just a bite. 

So how did she learn this behavior?  Is it just biological in her that is thinking that maybe this one time (every time) that she will receive some kind of food?  Why does she keep doing this when it will never happen?  Why won’t she give up?  She has got to know by now, she will not receive any human food, right? 

This is hope.  I am not too sure if she will ever get something off of our plates, but she seems to be somewhat content to just lay down next to the table.

Faithful living is all about hope.  It is hoping for things we never experienced, never possessed.  This is what faith is so difficult.  We can feel like we spend our entire lives just waiting…. Just hoping.  Hoping that God would just correct all the injustice we see, correct people’s morals, and ethics, and everything else in between!  We just sit and wait and hope for God to make this world peaceful!

So, we wait, like my yellow lab, and hope for things unseen. 

Hope sounds a bit foolish.  And it is!  But it is also about being comfortable amid hope.  Just because something doesn’t go our way or that the world around us seems frustrating.  Hope is about being comfortable. 

I feel at times God has been training us humans to deal with life and always have hope.  God knows that life is unpredictable.  And I do believe that God knows this and that the whole point of life being unpredictable is to ultimately put our trust in Him.  The good and bad aspects of life situations.  Hope in never being discouraged at the curve balls in life. 

So, what can we do about this?  Hope is foolish!  But hope is about practice.  You can be hopeful, comfortable, and happy.  And sometimes we can find enjoyment in the anticipation of waiting, being patient, and being hopeful! 

To my yellow lab’s behavior.  It may seem pitiful and heartbreaking to see her continually look as us with hope filled eyes for the possibility of getting some human food, but it really isn’t.  There is too much going on in her life that gives her joy.  And even when we get done eating, she is ready for us to hang out in the living room, or play outside, or play tug of war.  For her, it is ok to have hope, even if you may not get immediate results.  She will continue to do this for the entirety of her life, whether she is able to taste human food or not. 

Just always remember, whatever you may be hoping for, there are other things in your life that are fulfilled.  Do not ignore them, and do not let your impatience and hopelessness overcome the fulfilling aspects of the rest of your life.  

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