When Hope Returns
By Colleen Swindoll Thompson
Hope is a buoyancy word. It takes a tsunami-like surge to keep it submerged. It’s difficult, I know, to hold on to the life preserver of hope when storms rage in your life, but let me encourage you to tighten your grip. Perhaps this poem, “When Hope Returns,” will help.
Despair, oh despair, you’ve taken my hope
You’ve taken my hope; forbidden, now hidden
Should she try to dance, to prance, enjoy romance
You cover and hover, oh . . . wretched despair
Choked by the ash, the crash, the smash
Hope returns resilient, undaunted
Forging, restoring, she changes, rearranges
Hope rebuilds, repairs, restores, returns
Hope has no anguish, bitterness, darkness
In suffering, hope is shining, singing, humbling
A star twinkling, hope is amazing, dazzling, sparkling
Hope resides when Christ abides,
I can dance in the rain, cast the pain, view loss as gain
My soul so free, the release, the peace—Colleen Swindoll, 2009
Have you found lasting hope? It can only be found in God. Listen to this declaration from the great poet David:
You are my hope;
O Lord GOD, You are my confidence from my youth. (Psalm 71:5)
It is my hope that your hope returns, even if your situation seems hopeless, for nothing is hopeless with our God.
Recommended Resources: Hope: Expect Great Things from God, booklet and Hope for Our Troubled Times, CD series Copyright © 2009 by Colleen Swindoll. All rights reserved worldwide.
About the author
Colleen Swindoll Thompson
Colleen Swindoll Thompson holds a bachelor of arts degree in Communication from Trinity International University as well as minors in psychology and education. Colleen served as the director of Reframing Ministries at Insight for Living Ministries. From the personal challenges of raising a child with disabilities (her son Jonathan), Colleen offers help, hope, and a good dose of humor through speaking, writing, and counseling those affected by disability. Colleen and her husband, Toban, have five children and reside in Frisco, Texas.
