God is for hope.
What is hope? Hope is when something unexpected disrupts our stories for the better. Even the smallest of things knock us loose from life and change us – for good.
Alan is 10. He lives in a small community outside Cancun called Tres Reyes. Like most boys he loves soccer. Tres Reyes, unfortunately, has no soccer fields. Alan and his friends find makeshift soccer fields in dirt roads or trash-laden chunks of land. He’s never imagined playing on a real field. Sadly, it’s a small version of his story. Alan is created for a robust, flourishing life, but he can’t see past the trash and dirt.
When Alan first saw the soccer field at the new community center, he ran and slid so fast he got turf burn. He didn’t care – it was from a real soccer field.
“This used to be just rocks and dirt. It’s soft now and colorful. I never thought we’d have this,” Alan said just before running off to chase after a soccer ball.
A vibrant hand-painted mural stretches out behind Alan covering the back wall of the field. It reads “Nothing is impossible with God.” The simple childhood delight of a soccer field is teaching Alan how God disrupts our stories with hope.
Alan never thought he would play on a turf field. God showed him otherwise. Now, Alan can imagine far more than trash and dirt for himself – he can hope.
God is for hope. He enters our stories, without permission, and gives us more than we can imagine. Go ahead, get turf burn.