Navigating the Shadows: Cultivating Radical Hope and Trust in God's Plan

“Not everything is going to be okay.

And our assignment is to carry this truth without yielding to despair, and while tending to the flames of radical hope — the kind that demands our grittiest love and biggest imagination.“

How do we hold onto hope when we're faced with the stark truth that not everything in life will turn out okay? Journey with Lora East, as we grapple with this haunting reality and the transformative power of radical hope. In this episode, inspired by the wisdom of Simone Sol, we contemplate the gritty reality of life's trials and the resilient faith required to move through them. You'll discover how to cultivate a trust in God that's as unwavering as it is necessary, even when the path forward is veiled in uncertainty. This isn't just about finding light in the darkness; it's about learning to navigate the shadows with a hope that is audacious and love that is tangible.

As we move through our Lenten series, Trustful, we're reminded of the undeniable influence of Jesus Christ's example of gritty love and how His teachings can guide us in fostering trust. By embracing the idea that while not every outcome is within our control—or even within our lifetime—our capacity for hope and love can still flourish. Tune in and be inspired to imagine the boundless possibilities of faith and to employ the greatest version of yourself in the face of life's relentless challenges. Let's embrace this season together, understanding that although everything may not be okay, our trust in God's plan can still shape a future filled with grace and redemption.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:08

Welcome to Resilient Faith, the podcast. Opportunities to find deeper resilience within ourselves can come when life seems most challenging. This podcast is to help you develop that resilience and connection with God. Being resilient and having power starts with faith.

Speaker 2: 0:41

Welcome, friends, to another episode of the Resilient Faith podcast. I'm Laura East, the associate pastor at Brentwood Presbyterian Church. I came across something on social media recently that I wanted to share with you because it really has got me thinking and I thought maybe you would want to ponder it alongside me. This comes from Simone Sol, and she wrote this Not everything is going to be okay, and our assignment is to carry this truth without yielding to despair and while tending to the flames of radical hope, the kind that demands our grittiest love and biggest imagination. I'll read it again Not everything is going to be okay, and our assignment is to carry this truth without yielding to despair and while tending to the flames of radical hope, the kind that demands our grittiest love and biggest imagination. What comes to mind for me is something that I feel like I hear somewhat regularly, which is that it's all going to be okay, and if it's not okay, then it's not over yet. That's not a direct quote, but that's just my memory of that phrasing, and maybe you're familiar with that as well this idea that things will eventually be okay, whatever that means, whether that's in a few months or in a few years or, who knows, maybe in a few thousand years, even after we're gone and there are future generations in our place. I don't know exactly, but I do feel like the implicit meaning in that has to do with the power of God to make good things happen with the messes that we as people are so very good at making for ourselves and for each other, this idea that ultimately, god is at work to bring goodness out of the terrible things that come out of life. So if it's not okay now, it will be eventually, because through God's saving power something will be resolved and healing will come, regardless of if we are able to see it with our own eyes. So what Simone says here pushes back against that in a way, when she says not everything is going to be okay, but she doesn't leave it at that. She goes on and our assignment is to carry this truth without yielding to despair, and I think that that's so meaningful that just because everything is not going to be okay does not mean that we get lost in despair. She goes on and while tending to the flames of radical hope, the kind that demands our grittiest love and biggest imagination. So she still names the radical hope that is necessary, the grittiest love. To me that is just a tangible love, that is a love you can chew, that is a love that you can taste and feel, and then with our biggest imagination. So, even though this initial phrase not everything is going to be okay can seem awfully negative, actually where she leads us through is quite hopeful and really is a call.

Speaker 2: 6:15

This Lenten season we are moving through a series called Trustful, where we are exploring trust and spaces where we either struggle with trust, or maybe seasons in our life where we have depended on trust, where it seems like things are so far out of our control or life just seems relentless. And so what is the trust that we are called upon to have, what is the trust that we would choose to have as we move through this life of faith? And so I think in what Simone is saying here, there is an element of trust, trusting that God is still at work. I mean, I don't know how else to counter despair, but having trust in God. I don't know how else to tend the flames of radical hope, but to have trust in God.

Speaker 2: 7:55

And gosh, when we look at an example of gritty love, I mean, is that not Jesus Christ right there?

Speaker 2: 8:02

That is some gritty love that dude experienced humanity and life and pain and suffering and crucifixion and death.

Speaker 2: 8:17

That is some gritty love, y'all.

Speaker 2: 8:22

And then, of course, resurrection.

Speaker 2: 8:25

Now, that is some big imagination that God has, and that is some big imagination that God has entrusted us with, that God has gifted us with.

Speaker 2: 8:43

That is a blessing right there, and so I hope that, even as we wrestle with this meaning of, is everything going to be OK?

Speaker 2: 9:00

Maybe everything is going to be OK, maybe not everything is going to be OK as we wrestle with that, I hope that we can still lean on the trust that we have in a God who is with us and for us, and a God who comes to earth in the form of Jesus Christ, to experience this life, to experience death and then, ultimately, to conquer the grave. Let me read one last time what Simone says Not everything is going to be OK, and our assignment is to carry this truth without yielding to despair and while tending to the flames of radical hope, the kind that demands our grittiest love and biggest imagination. Thank you, beloveds, for grappling with this phrase, for wrestling with this alongside me. Maybe we can continue to take this to God in prayer this week and see what God has for us in terms of radical hope, gritty love and big imagination. Thank you, simone Sol, for this writing that we are able to wrestle with today. God bless you all. My friends, until next time, take care.

Speaker 1: 11:06

You've been listening to the story of landlady and the church of the Lord. You've been listening to Resilient Faith. The podcast Resilient Faith is sponsored by Brentwood Presbyterian Church in West Los Angeles. You can follow our church and this podcast on Facebook at bpcteam, and Instagram at bpc-unterscore-usa. Make sure to subscribe on your favorite podcast platform you.