Persevering for Hope

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Several weeks ago, I mentioned that my new small group is going through Annie F. Downs’ Bible study, Looking for Lovely.  The focus of the study is perseverance and it centers around Romans 5:3 – 5, “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”  In this Bible study and her book by the same title, Annie talks about how hope is not a fruit of the spirit.  We don’t get it automatically when we decide to follow Jesus.  We have to work for it. 
            So how do we persevere through hard or even just ordinary seasons?  According to Annie, we look for lovely.  We look for the places where God is showing up in big ways and in little details.  Here are some of the places that I am finding the lovely in my life right now:
            Our new Loudoun FCA summer interns started this past Monday!  Both of our interns, Michael Smith and Molly Decarli, are Potomac Falls graduates and I am so excited to get to work with them over the next couple of months!  Michael got connected with us through his youth pastor and has been praying over where the Lord is leading him in the future with his passion for business, sports and ministry.  Molly was a student of mine for two years when I taught math at Potomac Falls and was a huddle leader for their FCA her sophomore through senior years.  I’ve had the chance to get to know her entire family over the years and it is such a blessing to get to hang out with her this summer!
           Another area where I am seeing God at work is in through the student leaders I get to work with on a daily basis.  I’m in a group chat with the current huddle leaders from Potomac Falls and am so inspired by one of the new leaders this year who sends out a text each morning with an encouraging verse for his fellow leaders.  In a generation that often gets criticized for being flaky or inconsistent, this young man is such a wonderful example of what it means to be faithful.
            There are often times that I feel like I’m running up a down escalator in this job when it comes to getting huddles started (or restarted) and recruiting these crazy busy Loudoun coaches and athletes for camps.  Yesterday I was once again sharing about the opportunity to attend Leadership Camp with a middle school huddle.  At one point I spoke directly to the eighth graders, explaining that, although freshmen are typically not asked to be leaders for high school huddles, the high school that they will be attending next year has struggled to gain momentum for their FCA.  I challenged them to consider attending Leadership Camp because we need new excitement for FCA at that school.  One eighth grade boy came up to me afterwards and opened up about some things going on at home.  He explained that although he won’t be able to attend any FCA camps this summer, he is excited to help restart and lead the huddle at his high school next year.  He has been such a consistent member of his middle school huddle this year and I am so excited for his interest in leading in the fall!
            Last night I got to experience a whole lot of lovely as some my favorite college girls were all gathered around my living room.  Several months ago I reached out to former small group girls, students, soccer players, and FCA leaders, all attending various colleges up and down the East Coast, and told them I wanted to hang out with them this summer.  Over the next several weeks, we are going to read Jennie Allen’s book, Nothing toProve, as we explore who Jesus is and what His radical grace means for our lives.  I know many of them have expressed that this summer small group is something they really need to get back on track or stay encouraged, but I truly believe the Lord is going to use this group of girls I have loved so dearly for years to encourage my heart as well.    
            Even in difficult seasons, if we choose to look for lovely, we will find it.  There are a lot of negative things going on in our world and the news right now and, I am sure, in each of our lives too.  But even in those circumstances, maybe especially in those circumstances, God is at work.  And I want to keep persevering because the result at the end of it all, according to Romans 5:3-5, is hope.  And in a world full of crazy, hope will not disappoint us.


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