Daily Lesson for June 26, 2014

Today's Daily Lesson is from Romans 5 verses 3 and 4:

3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope when it is fully born does not disappoint.

When we speak of hope we usually say something like, "There's still hope," as though it were something with which we began and which circumstances - however difficult - could not take from us.  But research from psychologists suggests that we actually have that backwards.  Cognitive psychologist C.R. Snyder, from the University of Kansas, has discovered that hope, rather than being the thing left over after adversity, might better be thought of as a byproduct of having overcome adversity.  Hope, according to this research, is not so much a quantity left over in spite of our struggles, but instead the quality of who we become in and through those struggles.  In other words, hope is born out of struggle.

"Lift Every Voice and Sing", in times past sometimes called the Negro National Anthem, remembers the struggles of African Americans from the Middle Passage to continental slavery.  It speaks of a time when "hope unborn had died".  Those were the dark nights of terror and no doubt hope died unborn in many a sad and defeated soul.  But those who held on, walking the stony road and bearing the bitter rod - even for centuries - discovered that hope could still even yet be born again.  And through 400 years of suffering which led to endurance, and endurance which led to character, and character which led to hope, they became the People of Hope.

There are people reading this now who are really struggling and in desperate need of hope.  What I want to say to you is hold on.  Hold on today, hold on tomorrow, hold on 400 years if you have to but hold on.  Keep struggling and hold on.  Hold on for endurance sake.  Hold on till character is made. Hold on till hope is born; if it dies hold on till it is conceived and born again.  

Suffering produces endurance, endurance character, and character hope.  And when hope is full born it shall not disappoint.